The cultural meaning of ‘female genital mutilation’ in rural Malaysia: the female body and sexuality through the medical gaze

This article explores increasing medical control over sexuality and the female body in rural Malaysia by examining the formation of the global discourse of ‘female genital mutilation’ (FGM) through local discourses on sunat (circumcision). Regarding FGM as a Foucauldian discourse, the article analyses interviews with traditional practitioners and villagers’ statements. The expansion of modern medical systems, along with the medical gaze, has brought notions of sexuality in rural areas of Malaysia as revealed from local discourses on sunat that mention it as a means of controlling female sexuality. By examining the cultural gaps between global discourse and categories of FGM and the local practice of sunat, the article concludes that the incorporation of local practices in the global is ongoing rather than complete.