Abstract:
The Abagusii male circumcision is a cultural rite of passage that marked the transition from childhood to adulthood. Due to the 19th Century interactions between Abagusii and the British, male circumcision transformed under the influence of colonization, Christianity, modernization, urbanization, and legal rights. The social and cultural significance of male circumcision faded away as the Abagusii acquired western cultural values, systems, and beliefs. Democratization and evolution of human rights related children played a key role in shaping Abagusii male circumcision. The following objectives guided this study: to examine the impact of European colonization and Christianity on Abagusii male circumcision in the colonial period, 1920 – 1963; to assess the impact of modernization and urbanization on Abagusii male circumcision, 1963 – 1978; and to analyze the impact of democracy and human rights on Abagusii male circumcision, 1978 – 2020. Guided by cultural diffusion and personhood theories to pursue these objectives, this study was conducted in Kisii County, Kenya. This study used descriptive and historical research designs. The research targeted Gusii men and women aged 60 years and above and those considered custodians of Gusii culture. The study used purposive and snowball sampling techniques to recruit 31 participants. Primary and secondary data was collected through oral interviews, archival research, books, journal articles, online sources, and thesis and dissertations. Data was thematically analyzed and the findings were descriptively reported in texts and direct quotations. The study established that before colonization, Abagusii circumcision was a ritualistic cultural rite of passage symbolizing the transition from childhood to adulthood. Further, the study showed that colonialism and Christianity reshaped Abagusii circumcision, leading to a modernized and advanced medical procedure that focus on health rather than cultural befits. Thus, western education, policies, and medical procedures, national laws, and international policies impacted male circumcision among the Abagusii. This study concluded that Abagusii male circumcision has transformed and reshaped by western cultural aspects such as colonization, Christianity, modernization, urbanization, democracy, and human rights. Thus, the study recommended the re-establishment of the seclusion period to uphold its educative and cultural transmission role and encouraging the initiatives to revive and preserve positive values that have been eroded over time due cultural interactions to enhance cultural posterity.
