An Intimate Rebuke: Female Genital Power in Ritual and Politics in West Africa (Religious Cultures of African and African Diaspora People)

Throughout West African societies, at times of social crises, postmenopausal women — the Mothers — make a ritual appeal to their innate moral authority. The seat of this power is the female genitalia. Wielding branches or pestles, they strip naked and slap their genitals and bare breasts to curse and expel the forces of evil. In An Intimate Rebuke Laura S. Grillo draws on fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire that spans three decades to illustrate how these rituals of Female Genital Power (FGP) constitute religious and political responses to abuses of power. When deployed in secret FGP operates as spiritual warfare against witchcraft; in public it serves as a political activism. During Côte d’Ivoire’s civil wars FGP challenged the immoral forces of both rebels and the state. Grillo shows how the ritual potency of the Mothers’ nudity and the conjuration of their sex embodies a moral power that has been foundational to West African civilization. Throughout West African societies, at times of social crises, postmenopausal women2014the Mothers2014make a ritual appeal to their innate moral authority. The seat of this power is the female genitalia. Wielding branches or pestles, they strip naked and slap their genitals and bare breasts to curse and expel the forces of evil. In An Intimate Rebuke Laura S. Grillo draws on fieldwork in Côte d2019Ivoire that spans three decades to illustrate how these rituals of Female Genital Power (FGP) constitute religious and political responses to abuses of power. When deployed in secret, FGP operates as spiritual warfare against witchcraft; in public, it serves as a political activism. During Côte d2019Ivoire2019s civil wars FGP challenged the immoral forces of both rebels and the state. Grillo shows how the ritual potency of the Mothers2019 nudity and the conjuration of their sex embodies a moral power that has been foundational to West African civilization. Highlighting the remarkable continuity of the practice across centuries while foregrounding the timeliness of FGP in contemporary political resistance, Grillo shifts perspectives on West African history, ethnography, comparative religious studies, and postcolonial studies." "Throughout West African societies, at times of social crises, postmenopausal women—the Mothers—make a ritual appeal to their innate moral authority. The seat of this power is the female genitalia. Wielding branches or pestles, they strip naked and slap their genitals and bare breasts to curse and expel the forces of evil. In An Intimate Rebuke Laura S. Grillo draws on fieldwork in Côte d’Ivoire that spans three decades to illustrate how these rituals of Female Genital Power (FGP) constitute religious and political responses to abuses of power. When deployed in secret, FGP operates as spiritual warfare against witchcraft; in public, it serves as a political activism. During Côte d’Ivoire’s civil wars FGP challenged the immoral forces of both rebels and the state. Grillo shows how the ritual potency of the Mothers’ nudity and the conjuration of their sex embodies a moral power that has been foundational to West African civilization. Highlighting the remarkable continuity of the practice across centuries while foregrounding the timeliness of FGP in contemporary political resistance, Grillo shifts perspectives on West African history, ethnography, comparative religious studies, and postcolonial studies."--Publisher Cover Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. Home and the Unhomely: The Foundational Nature of Female Genital Power 1. Genies, Witches, and Women: Locating Female Powers 2. Matrifocal Morality: FGP and the Foundation of “Home” 3. Gender and Resistance: The “Strategic Essentialism” of FGP Part II. Worldliness: FGP in the Making of Ethnicity, Alliance, and War in Côte d’Ivoire 4. Founding Knowledge/Binding Power: The Moral Foundations of Ethnicity and Alliance 5. Women at the Checkpoint: Challenging the Forces of Civil War Part III. Timeliness: Urgent Situations and Emergent Critiques 6. Violation and Deployment: FGP in Politics in Côte d’Ivoire 7. Memory, Memorialization, and Morality Conclusion. An Intimate Rebuke: A Local Critique in the Global Postcolony Notes References Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Photographs 1. Genies, Witches, And Women : Locating Female Powers -- 2. Matrifocal Morality : Fgp And The Foundation Of Home -- 3. Gender And Resistance : The Strategic Essentialism Of Fgp -- 4. Founding Knowledge/binding Power : The Moral Foundations Of Ethnicity And Alliance -- 5. Women At The Checkpoint : Challenging The Forces Of Civil War -- 6. Violation And Deployment : Fgp In Politics In Côte D'ivoire -- 7. Memory, Memorialization, And Morality -- Conclusion : An Intimate Rebuke: A Local Critique In The Global Postcolony. Laura S. Grillo. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. In This Ethnography Of Female Empowerment, Laura S. Grillo Offers New Perspectives On How Elder West African Women Deploy An Ancient Ritual In Which They Dance Naked And Slap Their Genitals And Bare Breasts To Protest Abuses Of State Power, Globalization, Witchcraft, Rape, And Other Social Dangers.