Re-imagining Moralities and Masculinities in the Context of Male Circumcision and Marriage in South-Western Kenya Communities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22169014 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Gutwa Oino (0000-0003-3721-5243, Kisii University, corresponding author), Eunice Kamaara (0000-0003-2233-5365, Moi University, corresponding author), Eric Masese, Claire Médard (0000-0002-0829-0087, Moi University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2023-05-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of African Cultural Heritage Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2513-8243 • E-ISSN: 2513-8243 |
| Publisher | CLOCKSS Archive (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.22599/jachs.124 |
| OpenAlex | W4382294723 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 8 |
Male circumcision and marriage are significant cultural practices that mark a critical stage in a person’s life in many African societies. Many rites of passage that exist, circumcision and marriage are intertwined. Marriage and circumcision like other cultural themes have attracted wide scholarship of diverse depths. Such studies have underlined, among others, the nature, forms, types and even the place of the two initiation rites in society. What, however, has not received adequate attention are the (re)negotiations and contestations between morality and masculinities in the context of male circumcision and marriage. Based on this understanding, and drawing on the findings of a qualitative study conducted in Kisii, and Homa Bay counties in South-Western Kenya, the researchers in this paper argue that circumcision and initiation determine ones’s masculinity, which as well acts as a gateway to marriage and social wellbeing. Combined, the two cultural practices can be presented as central morality and cultural notions that inform, underpin, and serve as the dominant paradigms that direct the lives and activities of African people from birth to death. The study suggests that despite its significance over decades, the practice of circumcision has changed over time in relation to the importance people attach to it, how it is practiced, and the attention it attracts from the society. The study recommends the need for a critical interrogation of morality in relation to what fits individuals and the contemporary world as they practice the rites of passage, while at the same time maintaining what is morally acceptable in the society
Environmental ethics · Masculinity · Morality · Negotiation · Political science · Scholarship · Social science · Sociology · Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Issues · Gender Studies · Genital Health and Disease · Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics · History · Law
Male role and gender role conflict
Male Gender Role Conflict, Depression, and Help Seeking
The acceptability of male circumcision to reduce HIV infections in Nyanza Province, Kenya
Contemporary Western European Feminism
Gender and state-building conversations
Why do we have to circumcise our son?' Meanings behind male circumcision in the life stories of mixed couples with a Muslim partner
Diminished Access, Diverted Exclusion
A Rose by Any Other Name? Rethinking the Similarities and Differences between Male and Female Genital Cutting
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |