The Social Dynamics of FGM/C
Research theme: Adversity, Adaptation
One key but unmet target for global policymakers is to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Over 25 million (or two thirds) of Ethiopian women are thought to be cut, the second highest national number in Africa. Establishing how and why FGM/C persists in high-risk communities despite eradication efforts has proven difficult as little is known of how FGM/C norms are socially transmitted between individuals and communities.
This British Academy funded project seeks to address this gap, by combining social network analyses, ethnographic methods and novel survey techniques, to identify how attitudes and norms which underpin the acceptability of FGMC are shared among people in rural Ethiopia. By identifying how FGM/C is socially maintained, we may gain important insights into whether it can be eliminated. Read more about the project, the international team of researchers, and doing fieldwork during a pandemic at our project blog.
Principal investigator: Professor Mhairi Gibson Co investigators: Dr Eshetu Gurmu (Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia) & Dr Alex Alvergne (Université de Montpellier, France) Postdoctoral Researcher: Dr Janet Howard