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SUMMARY:CGHR Open Discussion Group: Fighting Female Genital Cutting in Ind
 ia - Reetika Subramanian
DTSTART:20170209T130000Z
DTEND:20170209T140000Z
UID:TALK71138@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Nikta Daijavad
DESCRIPTION:This week's CGHR salon marks the International Day of Zero Tol
 erance to Female Genital Mutilation. Join us for a group discussion led by
  Reetika Subramanian who will introduce the topic and start a discussion a
 bout the anti-Khatna (a ritual of female genital cutting practiced in the 
 Dawoodi Bohra community) movement in India.\n\nWhen: Thursday\, 9 February
 \, 1-2pm\nWhere: Alison Richard Building\, Room 138\n\nIn 2011\, a 400-sig
 nature petition against FGM snowballed into a full-blown movement with sev
 eral young Bohri women coming forward to collectively challenge\, speak ou
 t and create awareness about the ritual using social media activism\, news
  media reports and global collaborations. These amplified debates have led
  to a rift in the community between those calling the practice a violation
  and others\, who are defending it as an act of purity and reaffirmation o
 f a common Bohra identity. Reetika's research strives to examine any notic
 eable absences of voices and the role of men in these conversations. Do me
 n essay the role of tradition carriers or is the whole practice a closely 
 guarded secret of women? We will address this question and other related t
 o the local understanding of Khatna and the idea of 'sexual control'. What
  is the relationship between Khatna movement and the broader movements aga
 inst cultural imperialism of violent experiences? Does the 'tradition as i
 nvented by modernity' discourse hold ground? Can the conversations on Khat
 na be defined beyond the western public debates of 'male domination\, muti
 lation and sexual control?\n\nSuggested reading:\n1. Reetika's piece for H
 industan Times in India back in 2011\, when the movement had just been lau
 nched: http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/bohra-women-go-online-to-fight
 -circumcision-trauma/story-QrtN6t5oIuK6Q6A2vF8fsN.html\n\n2. Why some wome
 n choose to get circumcised (The Atlantic) https://www.theatlantic.com/int
 ernational/archive/2015/04/female-genital-mutilation-cutting-anthropologis
 t/389640/\n\n3. India's Dark Secret: FGM http://www.hindustantimes.com/sta
 tic/fgm-indias-dark-secret/\n\n4. As more Indian women line up to get 'des
 igner vaginas'\, some doctors ring ethical alarm bells https://scroll.in/p
 ulse/825437/the-designer-vagina-debate-as-demand-for-genital-cosmetic-surg
 ery-swells-so-does-the-criticism
LOCATION:Alison Richard Building Room 138
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