Often the word "research" conjures up images of poring through books or staring through microscopes, sitting in a library or working in a lab. But research can also involve the most current issues affecting people's lives. Robin Joseph '09 (Watertown, Mass.) is taking the latter route, using her knowledge of women's studies and desire to advocate for women to a project investigating the issue of female mutilation.
According to the African Women's Health Center, located at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, data based on the 2000 census show that more than 165,000 females living in the United States over the age of 18 are with or considered at risk for female genital cutting, and the number who have undergone it is rising. The "first and only" health center in the country specializing in issues related to the practice, the African Women's Health Center treats approximately 1,000 patients per year, most of whom come from Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia.
The practice is sometimes rationalized as a "rite of passage to womanhood," Joseph says, but since it is often performed on girls aged three to six year old, the reasoning is difficult to justify. Joseph's research focuses on the feminist debate surrounding the issue. While many western feminists approach the issue with the idea of "saving" their oppressed fellow women, she says, it is important to take cultural, practical, and political factors into account. On one side, the tradition is "deeply imbedded" in the culture of some nations, but on the other, Joseph explains, it is often a matter of patriarchy, since men have specific expectations of desirable wives. Women who do not undergo the procedure may find themselves ostracized.
To conduct her research, Joseph is currently reading feminist works discussing the issue. Because of privacy concerns and since female genital cutting is such a sensitive issue, she is not speaking directly to women who have undergone the practice, but she will interview physicians at the African Women's Health Center, as well as nonprofits in the area to get a practical sense of the women's side of the story.
Joseph says that the split in feminism over this question is a matter of different approaches, rather than different goals. "There is a disconnect between feminists," she says. "People want the women to be empowered, but it's tough for them to work together, because everyone has their own idea what is the right way to help these women." She also emphasizes the need to see the nuances of the issue. "It happens in different countries to different degrees," she explains, "and you can't be quick to judge these women. They're people."
Joseph, who is collaborating on the research with Assistant Professor of Women's Studies Anne Lacsamana, is one of 17 students spending this summer working under Emerson Foundation Grants. Created in 1997, the program was designed to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest. The students will make public presentations of their research throughout the academic year. Joseph intends to use her work this summer as a foundation for her senior thesis, where she intends to possibly discuss the issue at a policy level, looking at cases of asylum. After Hamilton, she plans to attend graduate school, either to study public policy, public health or women's studies.
-- by Laura Bramley
According to the African Women's Health Center, located at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, data based on the 2000 census show that more than 165,000 females living in the United States over the age of 18 are with or considered at risk for female genital cutting, and the number who have undergone it is rising. The "first and only" health center in the country specializing in issues related to the practice, the African Women's Health Center treats approximately 1,000 patients per year, most of whom come from Somalia, Sudan and Ethiopia.
The practice is sometimes rationalized as a "rite of passage to womanhood," Joseph says, but since it is often performed on girls aged three to six year old, the reasoning is difficult to justify. Joseph's research focuses on the feminist debate surrounding the issue. While many western feminists approach the issue with the idea of "saving" their oppressed fellow women, she says, it is important to take cultural, practical, and political factors into account. On one side, the tradition is "deeply imbedded" in the culture of some nations, but on the other, Joseph explains, it is often a matter of patriarchy, since men have specific expectations of desirable wives. Women who do not undergo the procedure may find themselves ostracized.
To conduct her research, Joseph is currently reading feminist works discussing the issue. Because of privacy concerns and since female genital cutting is such a sensitive issue, she is not speaking directly to women who have undergone the practice, but she will interview physicians at the African Women's Health Center, as well as nonprofits in the area to get a practical sense of the women's side of the story.
Joseph says that the split in feminism over this question is a matter of different approaches, rather than different goals. "There is a disconnect between feminists," she says. "People want the women to be empowered, but it's tough for them to work together, because everyone has their own idea what is the right way to help these women." She also emphasizes the need to see the nuances of the issue. "It happens in different countries to different degrees," she explains, "and you can't be quick to judge these women. They're people."
Joseph, who is collaborating on the research with Assistant Professor of Women's Studies Anne Lacsamana, is one of 17 students spending this summer working under Emerson Foundation Grants. Created in 1997, the program was designed to provide students with significant opportunities to work collaboratively with faculty members, researching an area of interest. The students will make public presentations of their research throughout the academic year. Joseph intends to use her work this summer as a foundation for her senior thesis, where she intends to possibly discuss the issue at a policy level, looking at cases of asylum. After Hamilton, she plans to attend graduate school, either to study public policy, public health or women's studies.
-- by Laura Bramley
