Overview: Every year, in the United States and the third world combined,13.3 million boys and 2 million girls are circumcised. Whether becauseof perceived medical, cultural, or religious necessity, most of theseparents feel they have no alternative but to allow their children toundergo this surgery. Sparking intense debate, the circumcision ofchildren is a highly controversial and complex phenomenon that touchesa variety of sociological areas, such as religious beliefs, identityissues, medical conceptualizations, fear, and superstition. Thecontributors to this volume comprise an international
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