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Language
English (en)
Date of Award
5-4-2012
Author's Department
International and Area Studies
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts (A.B.)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Restricted
Abstract
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) provides an interesting case study to think about immigrant women in France, and the ways in which they can participate in the feminist movement. Much of the controversy around FGM centers on two questions that seem to be asked frequently in France: what is the role of universalism; and, can immigrants integrate into French society? As the FGM debate shows, if immigrant women wish to participate in feminist action, their situation forces them to do so within the context of mainstream feminism. French feminism relies too heavily on universalist ideals for any form of multicultural, women-of-color feminism to be viable. Looking at white papers and educational campaigns produced by the French state and feminist associations, this study examines the feminist and universalist discourses that surround FGM in France, ultimately concluding that the FGM controversy reinforces the impossibility of women-of-color feminism in France.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7936/4ve1-ek90
Mentor
Seth Graebner
Recommended Citation
States, Lian, "L'excision est un crime’: Understanding French Feminism Through the Lens of FGM" (2012). Senior Honors Papers / Undergraduate Theses. 150.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.7936/4ve1-ek90
Comments
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