Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations Arts & Sciences Summer 8-15-2017 For One Drop of Blood: Virginity, Sexual Norms and Medical Processes in Hymenoplasty Consultations in the Netherlands Sherria Ayuandini Washington University in St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Ayuandini, Sherria, "For One Drop of Blood: Virginity, Sexual Norms and Medical Processes in Hymenoplasty Consultations in the Netherlands" (2017). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1206. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1206 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts & Sciences at Washington University Open Scholarship. 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LOUIS Anthropology Department Dissertation Examination Committee: John Richard Bowen, Chair Jan Willem Duyvendak, Co-Chair Anita Hardon Annemarie Mol Annelies Moors Shanti Parikh Bradley Stoner Marguerite van den Berg For One Drop of Blood: Virginity, Sexual Norms and Medical Processes in Hymenoplasty Consultations in the Netherlands by Sherria Ayuandini A dissertation presented to The Graduate School of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2017 St. Louis, Missouri © 2017, Sherria Ayuandini Table of Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................ vi Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background of Research and the Main Research Question of the Study ............................................ 1 1.2 The Method and Process of Data Collection ...................................................................................... 4 1.3 Chosen Form of Writing and Objectives of Each Article ................................................................... 8 1.4 The Ever-Present Backdrop to the Study .......................................................................................... 11 1.5 Terms and Definitions ....................................................................................................................... 14 1.6 The Chapters of the Dissertation ....................................................................................................... 16 1.6.1 The First Article: Variability of Hymenoplasty Recommendations .......................................... 17 1.6.2 The Second Article: Religion and Hymenoplasty ...................................................................... 19 1.6.3 The Third Article: Demedicalization of the ‘Broken’ Hymen ................................................... 22 1.6.4 The Fourth Article: Enacting Dutchness in Hymenoplasty Consultations ................................ 24 1.6.5 The Fifth Article: Women Empowerment and Hymenoplasty .................................................. 27 1.7 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter 2: Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 38 2.1 The Timeline of the Study ................................................................................................................ 38 2.2 The Sites of the Study and Hymenoplasty Procedures at Each Site ................................................. 39 2.2.1 The Hospital ............................................................................................................................... 39 2.2.2 The Clinic ................................................................................................................................... 42 2.2.3 Profiles of Physicians ................................................................................................................. 45 2.3. Data Gathering Method .................................................................................................................... 47 2.3.1 Participant Observation of Hymenoplasty Consultation ............................................................ 47 2.3.2 Follow-up Interviews with Patients ........................................................................................... 48 2.3.3 Interview with Providers of Hymenoplasty ............................................................................... 51 2.3.4 In-depth Interviews with Women of Patients’ Age .................................................................... 52 2.3.5 In-depth Interviews with Women of Patients’ Mother Generation ............................................ 52 2.3.6 Interviews with Dutch Young Men of Migrant Background ..................................................... 53 2.4. Addressing Invisibility – A Word on Access ................................................................................... 54 2.5 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 58 2.6 Limitation of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 58 ii 2.7 Protecting Privacy and Ensuring Confidentiality .............................................................................. 60 2.8 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 63 Chapter 3: Variability of Hymenoplasty Recommendations ...................................................................... 65 3.1 Article Title ....................................................................................................................................... 65 3.2 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................. 65 3.3 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 66 3.4 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 69 3.4.1 A Hospital and a Clinic: The Sites of the Study ........................................................................ 69 3.4.2 Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 70 3.4.3 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................. 71 3.5 Findings............................................................................................................................................. 71 3.5.1 The Procedural Set-up of the Consultation ................................................................................ 71 3.5.2 A Cultural Motivation for the Operation ................................................................................... 72 3.5.3 Philosophy of the Consulting Doctors ....................................................................................... 73 3.5.4 The Purpose of Question and Answer ........................................................................................ 74 3.5.5 Questions about Bleeding After the First Penetration ................................................................ 77 3.5.6 The Aim of the Gynecological Examination ............................................................................. 78 3.6 Discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 81 3.6.1 Similar but Fundamentally Different ......................................................................................... 81 3.6.2 Addressing the Financial Gain ................................................................................................... 83 3.6.3 Study Limitations and Future Work ........................................................................................... 84 3.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 84 3.8 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................................... 85 Chapter 4: Religion and Hymenoplasty ...................................................................................................... 92 4.1 Article Title ....................................................................................................................................... 92 4.2 Abstract ............................................................................................................................................