Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Canada MIC1A4.
Soc Sci Med. 2010 Mar;70(5):729-35. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.11.016. Epub 2010 Jan 5.
This paper analyses a tension between traditional leaders and the post-apartheid government in South Africa, concerning the crisis in ritual male circumcision. Over the last two decades, following ritual male circumcision, thousands of youth have been admitted to hospitals, hundreds have undergone penile amputations and hundreds have died. Following the government's intervention through legislation and other health measures, traditional leaders allege that this is a violation of cultural rights enshrined in the Constitution. Drawing on newspaper and journal articles, books, policy documents, and legislation, as well as informal interviews with initiates and their parents and field observations in the Eastern Cape Province (2002-2009), this paper explores the validity of the traditional leaders' challenge, arguing that the crisis in the ritual should be seen in a broader context than the tension between traditional leaders and the state. Finally, the paper argues the tension between traditional leaders and government, and the sensational reporting of this by the media, unfortunately takes away focus from the health crisis in the ritual.
本文分析了南非传统领袖与后种族隔离政府之间的紧张关系，涉及割礼男性生殖器仪式的危机。在过去的二十年中，在割礼仪式后，成千上万的青年被送进医院，数百人接受了阴茎截肢手术，数百人死亡。政府通过立法和其他卫生措施进行干预后，传统领袖声称这侵犯了《宪法》中规定的文化权利。本文利用报纸和期刊文章、书籍、政策文件和立法，以及对东开普省（2002-2009 年）的割礼参与者及其父母的非正式访谈和实地观察，探讨了传统领袖挑战的有效性，认为仪式中的危机应该放在比传统领袖与国家之间的紧张关系更广泛的背景下看待。最后，本文认为传统领袖与政府之间的紧张关系，以及媒体对此的耸人听闻的报道，不幸地使人们对仪式中的健康危机失去了关注。
