ABSTRACT
Since the 1990s, the transition from anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) grassroots activism to cyberactivism has been accompanied by competing narratives striving to shape the framing of FGM in cyberspace. P. Chenangat argues that FGM is rooted in deep-seated cultural traditions that have succeeded to go unchallenged for generations: FGM has been there since time in memorial. Such traditions are 'used to control behaviour within families or other social groups to protect perceived cultural and religious beliefs and/or honour'. Consistent with the 'Pro-FGM arguments', J. Hemmings has uncovered deep-seated beliefs that FGM is 'a religious requirement' that is 'natural', an 'element of tradition' intrinsic to the maintenance of 'cultural identity' and whose rejection is 'disrespectful to older generations. The medicalisation of FGM is not only a highly sensitive and contested issue in the literature, but also a key concern at the core of the broader FGM debate.
