This talk uses the ironic figure of the ‘Great White Circumcisers,’ echoing the trope of Great White Hunters, to rethink debates on male and female circumcision in Kenya. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research and multi-sited archival work, it challenges the assumption that genital cutting is a timeless, exclusively African tradition. Instead, circumcision is framed as an emergent, entangled, and politically charged social process shaped through sustained interaction between African actors and European missionaries, doctors, and global health experts. Reframing circumcision in terms of cultural proximity rather than alterity, the talk argues that contemporary polarisation reflects deeper struggles over moral authority, provision, and belonging.
Dr Mark Lamont is Lecturer In Sustainable Development at the Open University. Mark’s research explores the interplay between culture, politics, and health in global development. His work engages two main areas: (a) the politics of global health, particularly how biomedical knowledge, ethics, and power shape interventions and policies; and (b) the relationships between cultural heritage and development, with a focus on ocean health, blue economy, and the transformation of maritime communities. He is also engaged in writing a book about male circumcision in Kenya from early missionary efforts to control indigenous sexuality to ongoing medical male circumcision campaigns to prevent HIV. His interest is understanding how race, identity, and sexuality link these histories.