Interrogating the Double Standard of Female Genital Mutilation and Female Genital Cosmetic Procedures: An Ethnographic Study of Female Genital Modifications in Kenya

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the total or
partial removal of female genitalia, or any other injury to female genital organs, for non-medical
reasons. While female genital cosmetic procedures (FGCP) technically fall within the WHO's definition
of FGM, they are neither treated nor criminalised as such. Scholars have argued that the moral and
legal distinction between FGM and FGCP is not based on inherent differences but instead reflects
colonial, ethnocentric, and racist assumptions. These scholars have called for a decolonial rethinking
of the distinction between un/acceptable female genital modifications.
My proposed project contributes to this decolonial effort. It entails a comparative study of FGCP and
FGM in Kenya, beginning with ethnographic research on FGCP in Kenya and comparing these findings
with data from my previous ethnographic studies on FGM in Kenya. The project is guided by two key
questions: What are the similarities and differences between FGCP and FGM? How can these findings
be used to challenge the reliance on race, ethnicity, and nationality as implicit factors in
distinguishing acceptable from unacceptable female genital modifications? While existing studies
have compared FGM in Africa with FGCP in the West, my project moves beyond the West/Africa
dichotomy and studies both in the same context. It also addresses the gap in research on FGCP in
African contexts.