Female Genital Cutting and Sexual Response

Female Genital Cutting (FGC), often referred to as Female Circumcision, is a cultural practice performed for a variety of reasons. It is generally believed that FGC results in diminished sexual pleasure or inability to experience orgasm. The gap between the global discourse on FGC and sexual response, and the limited evidence-based research with women who have undergone FGC, is vast. The available data is commonly based upon western perspectives of sexuality, or from an analysis which assumes cultural neutrality. This work challenges the uncritical assertion of the negative effects of FGC on sexuality and interrogates the centrality of the clitoris in female orgasm. It considers the dominant literature in the field of sexology and reviews historical, anthropological, biological, sociological, and psychological perspectives used to analyse female sexuality; sheds light on the FGC sexual response controversy; and suggests a framework for eliminating FGC. This book is an essential reading for educators, health care workers, doctors, nurses, counsellors, sex therapists, policy-makers, indigenous individuals and groups, feminists, activists, and advocacy groups.