Circumcision ceremony in Istanbul, Türkiye. 1983. File photo.
In Muslim-majority Turkey, the tradition of circumcision dates back centuries, when the Ottoman Empire established the practice as an important socio-religious milestone in the lives of young men as they began to identify as men.
“Although there is no mention of circumcision in the Koran, it was still considered a religious obligation. Islam is a religion of cleanliness,” Basaran said. Additionally, he explained that this ritual has typically been performed when a child is between 6 and 10 years old. “This is so that, just as Turkish men bond over the common experience of military service, children recognize what is happening and remember it as a story that they can later exchange with their friends.” However, this trend is starting to change, especially among secular families who choose to have their children circumcised soon after birth, he added.
Basaran’s book explores what happened when this long-standing practice faced the ever-evolving (albeit uneven) demands of Turkey’s healthcare system, and what it meant for practitioners of the procedure. I’m tracking what that means. This practice was traditionally performed by itinerant circumcisers, who often administered herbal remedies to their patients. This situation began to change in the 1960s, when public health workers increasingly took on circumcision roles, circumcision became more systematic and specialized, and there was an emphasis on pain management with medications, Basaran explained. . By the 1990s, the situation had evolved further and hospital doctors were also taking on this role, he added.
Circumcision and Medicine in Modern Turkey examines the experiences of 25 cities and their outlying towns across Turkey. Basharan offers an alternative approach to studying a central part of the Turkish male experience by analyzing the changing characteristics of medical personnel.
