Journal of Bodies, Sexualities, and Masculinities is seeking contributions for a special issue on circumcision and anti-circumcision around the globe. Debates surrounding circumcision have historically been located within the Anglo-American world, especially among the existing scholarship on the subject.

This Call for Papers seeks to expand the scope of analysis to sites and contexts that have not been the forefront of debate. Recent scholarship has drawn attention to circumcision practices in Japan, for instance, as well as growing opposition to circumcision in Israel, Turkey, and Ghana. This research has contributed to the analysis of a global phenomenon of circumcision that cuts across time, space, and sociohistorical context. As “universal” as circumcision may seem, even conservative estimates admit that 70% of foreskins remain intact. This Special Issue takes a “global” approach to the questions of the foreskin, circumcision, anti-circumcision, and foreskin restoration; pushing to analyze what these questions tell us about local and regional masculinities. We welcome contributions that consider interdisciplinary methods and approaches that expand the critical analysis of circumcision. We are particularly interested in papers that address:

» Imperialism
» Colonialism and Postcolonialism
» Decolonization
» Nation and Nationalism
» Biomedical Colonialism and the Biomedical Industry
» Secularization and Religiosity
» Anti-Religiosity and Circumcision Debates
» Spirituality and Kinship
» Ethics and Morality
» Child Rights and/or Human Rights
» Aesthetics and Beauty
» Sexuality and Eroticism
» Considerations across gender identities, including trans, non-binary, and intersex identities
» Local and regional masculinities
» Memoirs, Testimonials, and Autoethnographies
» Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity
» Government and Politics
» Public Health, Policies, and Regulation

Abstracts (250-300 words) will be accepted until November 1, 2024. If a full paper is already written, full paper submissions will be accepted. Decisions will be made shortly after receiving the abstract. Contact: a.barutcu@beun.edu.tr

Articles (6000-8000 words) will be due by February 1,2025; however, early submissions are appreciated. Anticipated publication is late 2025/early 2026.  More details here.