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Infibulation

Infibulation is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Infibulation rather than just read about it. In short: Infibulation is the ritual removal of the vulva and its suturing, a practice found mainly in northeastern Africa, particularly in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. The World Health Organization refers to the procedure as Type III female genital mutilation.

Infibulation — main illustration
Infibulation — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Infibulation belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Infibulation to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Infibulation from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Infibulation is the ritual removal of the vulva and its suturing, a practice found mainly in northeastern Africa, particularly in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. The World Health Organization refers to the procedure as Type III female genital mutilation. The term can also refer to the entirely different practice of placing a clasp through the foreskin in men; for more information see the article Fibula (penile).

Female

The World Health Organization refers to female infibulation as Type III female genital mutilation. Often called "pharaonic circumcision" (or farooni) in countries where it is practiced. It refers to the removal of the inner and outer labia and the suturing of the vulva. It is usually accompanied by the removal of the clitoral glans. The practice is concentrated in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan. During a 2014 survey in Sudan, over 80 percent of those who had experienced any form of FGM had been sewn closed. The procedure leaves a wall of skin and flesh across the vagina and the rest of the pubic area. By inserting a twig or similar object before the wound heals, a small hole is created for the passage of urine and menstrual blood. The legs are bound together for two to four weeks to allow healing. The vagina is usually penetrated at the time of a woman's marriage by her husband's penis, or by cutting the tissue with a knife. The vagina is opened further for childbirth and usually closed again afterwards, a process known as defibulation (or deinfibulation) and reinfibulation. Infibulation can cause chronic pain and infection, organ damage, prolonged micturition, urinary incontinence, inability to get pregnant, difficulty giving birth, obstetric fistula, and fatal bleeding.

Male

Infibulation also referred to placing a clasp through the male foreskin. In ancient Greece, male athletes, singers and other public performers used a clasp or string to close the foreskin and draw the penis over to one side, a practice known as kynodesmē (literally "dog tie"). Many kynodesmē are depicted on vases, almost exclusively confined to symposiasts and komasts, who are as a general rule older (or at least mature) men. In Rome, a fibula was often a type of ring used similarly to a kynodesme. Kynodesmē was seen as a sign of restraint and abstinence, but was also related to concerns of modesty; in artistic representations, it was regarded as obscene and offensive to show a long penis and the glans penis in particular. Tying up the penis with a string was a way of avoiding what was seen as the shameful and dishonorable spectacle of an exposed glans penis, something associated with those without repute, such as slaves and barbarians. It therefore conveyed the moral worth and modesty of the subject.

References

Further reading

Ali, Ayaan Hirsi. Infidel: My Life, Free Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7432-8968-9 Pieters, Guy and Lowenfels, Albert B. "Infibulation in the Horn of Africa", New York State Journal of Medicine, 77(6), April 1977, pp. 729–731. Whitehorn, James, Oyedeji Ayonrinde, and Samantha Maingay. "Female Genital Mutilation: Cultural and Psychological Implications," Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 17.2 (2002), pp. 161–170.

Illustrations

Infibulation: Type III illustrates infibulation
Type III illustrates infibulation
Infibulation: A marble statue of the Greek poet Anacreon (582–485 BCE), showing kynodesmē
A marble statue of the Greek poet Anacreon (582–485 BCE), showing kynodesmē

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Infibulation

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Infibulation claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Infibulation before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Infibulation ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Infibulation

In research
Infibulation appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Infibulation in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Infibulation is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Female genital mutilation, Genital modification and mutilation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Infibulation outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Infibulation in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Infibulation means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Infibulation out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Infibulation in simple terms?

Infibulation is the ritual removal of the vulva and its suturing, a practice found mainly in northeastern Africa, particularly in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. The World Health Organization refers to the procedure as Type III female genital mutilation.

Why does Infibulation matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Infibulation?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Infibulation.

Tags

  • Female genital mutilation
  • Genital modification and mutilation

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