Sahiyo Communication Guide

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‘Us versus Them’ Thinking Yet another important reason why conversations about FGC may not have the desired effect in preventing someone from continuing the practice is that activists may unintentionally reinforce the divide between ‘us’ and ‘them’. For instance, some activists promote the assumption that all practitioners of FGC must be blind followers or ignorant. We are all naturally inclined to identify most closely with people more like us, and rather than helping to bridge the differences between different groups (those who want to end FGC and those who promote it), activists might reinforce the sense of division between the groups. 16
Reasonable Mode versus Rhetorical Mode Another factor that makes it difficult to talk productively about FGC relates to what can be called ‘Reasonable Mode’ and ‘Rhetorical Mode’ in people’s thinking and communication. When a person is in Reasonable Mode, they are open to new information, practical understanding and problem-solving. In Rhetorical Mode, the person is focused on opposition, defending their position against yours, identity-based thinking, and resistance to new ideas. In Rhetorical Mode there are winners and losers; in Reasonable Mode, everyone in the conversation is working towards the same goal. The topic of FGC can contrast one group against another. It is possible to have a Reasonable Mode discussion on why one group believes in FGC and another doesn’t, and what to do about it, but it is also very easy for such discussions to provoke the Rhetorical Mode, as people instinctively take ‘sides’. People may get defensive rather than opening up. 17
Page 1 and 2: COMMUNICATION GUIDE for activists w
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Why Communication
Page 5 and 6: Effective activism relies on tellin
Page 7 and 8: META-NARRATIVES Many of the frames
Page 9 and 10: Social change is slow, hard work -
Page 11 and 12: Health Approach Often, as activists
Page 13 and 14: Experience and research demonstrate
Page 15: ‘Individual Responsibility’ App
Page 19 and 20: - “This is freedom of religion.
Page 21 and 22: HOW TO HAVE EFFECTIVE CONVERSATIONS
Page 23 and 24: coupled with more tentative stateme
Page 25 and 26: 3) Embrace Grey Areas A person who
Page 27 and 28: KEY TO EFFECTIVE CONVERSATIONS ON K
Page 29 and 30: Four members of the Dawoodi Bohra s
Page 31 and 32: Part of the reason for this is that
Page 33 and 34: The main reason for this is as foll
Page 35 and 36: How could that be so? In her landma
Page 37 and 38: protection offered by circumcision
Page 39 and 40: Perhaps even more striking, the WHO
Page 41 and 42: Nevertheless, the search for “hea
Page 43 and 44: I would go one step further. All ch
Page 45 and 46: Gollaher, D. L. (1994). From ritual

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