"Becoming woman": An anthropological study on female genital excision (Sierra Leon - West Africa)

• Grant number: 24/09255-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Anthropology
• Principal Investigator: Cynthia Andersen Sarti
• Grantee: Denise Moraes Pimenta
• Host Institution: Escola de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (EFLCH). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Guarulhos. Guarulhos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The present project aims to show the relevance of an anthropological investigation on female genital excision, which is also called "female genital mutilation". Regarding body modification, it faces many controversies, for instance, thepolarization of positions - pro or against - in the international human rights scenario. Thisproject proposes a descent into the everyday experience. To this end, it focuses on carryingout ethnographic research that examines the plurality of statements made by women who arepart of the reality of the rite of passage that initiates them into adulthood throughcircumcision of the clitoris. The project understands that a particularly appropriate place to build ethnography on the topic is Sierra Leone (West Africa), considering that the practice islegalized in the country. Furthermore, the researcher has a privileged entrance into the Secret Society of Women, or Bondo Society, an institution responsible for perpetuating the custom throughout the generations.