ABSTRACT
As a form of body modification, circumcision is one of the practices designed to inscribe gender. Therefore, examining this practice outside its cultural context may overlook social meanings and implications of eradicating or sustaining the procedure for the individual and the society. This chapter presents an examination of circumcision as a gendered practice whose goal is to inscribe gender values of masculinity and femininity on community members. Drawing upon a feminist, human rights, and group rights framework, I seek to contextualize circumcision as a form of body modification shrouded in a complex social web of meanings. The main argument is that the failure to recognize significant social and moral meanings and implications of the practice, such as the role of inscribing gender, undercuts efforts to change attitudes and behavior toward it.
