When Norms Collide: Local Responses to Activism against Female Genital Mutilation and Early Marriage

Many transnational campaigns, and particularly the transnational campaign on violence against women, promote international norms that target the behavior of local nonstate actors. But these international norms are often at odds with local practices. What happens when the international and local norms collide? When does transnational activism lead individuals and communities to abandon local norms and embrace international ones? In When Norms Collide, Karisa Cloward presents a path-breaking theoretical framework for understanding the processes by which individuals negotiate competing demands placed on them by international and local norms. Drawing on extensive fieldwork with local communities in Kenya, she applies the theory to the practices of female genital mutilation and early marriage. Cloward argues that, when faced with international normative messages, individuals can decide to change their attitudes, their behavior, and the public image they present to international and local audiences. Moreover, the impact of transnational activism on individuals substantially depends on the salience of the international and local norms to their respective proponents, as well as on community-level factors.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: A Theory of Local-Level Responses to International Norm Promotion Chapter 3: FGM and Early Marriage in Kenya Chapter 4: Creating Local Awareness of International Norms Chapter 5: Fostering Local Attitude Change Chapter 6: Facilitating Local Primary Behavior Change Chapter 7: Explaining Local Misrepresentation of Normative Commitments Chapter 8: Conclusion Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Karisa Cloward is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Southern Methodist University.

Review :
"A lot of people get the basic facts wrong about the practice of female genital cutting. I'm happy to say that Karisa Cloward doesn't. This book is unmistakably an original contribution. It combines serious and ingenious field research with well-informed theoretical argumentation. Its findings are fascinating." --Gerry Mackie, Center on Global Justice, University of California, San Diego "A large body of literature has looked at how international norms influence states and firms. Karisa Cloward's book is a carefully designed and systematic study of how international norms regarding women's rights can influence local norms within society. Taking three Maa-speaking communities in Kenya as case studies, she examines micro-level processes to show how individuals respond to competing international and local norms. The book has far reaching implications for activists, scholars, donors, NGOs, international development agencies, and others interested in how changes in women's rights norms occur." --Aili Mari Tripp, Professor of Political Science and Gender & Women's Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison "The application of Cloward's findings not only has the potential to reduce violence against women but it could also assist policymakers in a variety of other areas. When Norms Collide provides a blueprint for achieving meaningful change, and all who are interested in advancing human rights should take note." --Ethics & International Affairs "When Norms Collide is a thoroughly researched, well-constructed, and novel contribution to the literature on transnational activism. It is also a strong addition to the nascent study using rational choice theory to explain seemingly illogical choices by groups in terms of the social utility granted to members through their compliance. " - Hilary Matfess, Institute for Defense Analyses