Uncut

Uncut: A Cultural Analysis of the Foreskin
by Johnathan A. Allan
Published by University of Regina Press
Review by Shelley A. Leedahl
$32.95 ISBN 97817794003307

Uncut: A Cultural Analysis of the Foreskin is a well-researched interdisciplinary book by Manitoba professor Jonathan A. Allan, and though it’s structured like most academic books I’ve read—with an introduction, an appendix, an impressive bibliography and index, and conclusions at the end of each chapter—the subject matter is completely unique, and perhaps not one my aunt will be discussing in her book club. Uncut gets up close and personal with foreskins. It includes the age-old debates concerning circumcision; aesthetics; the penis in art; the topic of cut/uncut sexuality; foreskin restoration; and it speaks of “the ongoing fear of the foreskin, since the foreskin is so absent from American culture.”

Allan’s no stranger to sensitive topics. The Canada Research Chair in Men and Masculinities at Brandon University previously authored Reading from Behind: A Cultural Analysis of the Anus. I was curious to learn why he writes about “really rather odd topics”—like the pros and cons of foreskins—and found my answer in his introduction:

“While it may be tempting to dismiss the foreskin as an irrelevant object of
study, I argue the contrary by demonstrating not only how divisive debates
about removing the foreskin have become, but also by showing ongoing
confusion and curiosity about the foreskin.”

He writes that “The medicalization of circumcision began in earnest in the nineteenth century,” as it was alleged that uncut males were more inclined to masturbate, which, it was believed, could lead to a host of medical ailments, including asthma and deafness. Today, most readers are likely aware of the debates for and against circumcision. The “for” camp cite reasons including medical, hygiene, religion, aesthetics (some parents want their infant boys to look like Dad), and even locker room bullying. The “intactivists” consider the pain and “mutilation” of the act, potentially decreased sexual pleasure, and economics, too, can play into the decision not to circumcise: in Canada, only Manitoba still covers the procedure, if completed within “the first twenty-eight days of life.”

Allan further states this his “interest is very much in the division and how the foreskin is represented and understood,” and he does a fine job of proving that division via a wide variety of resources, from Sex and the City quotes (“there was so much skin. It was like a Shar-Pei”) to Dr. Spock’s revised advice on circumcision (“he decided it was no longer necessary”).

In his analysis of pregnancy/parenting books, he found that overall the advice re: circumcision is that the choice should ultimately be left up to the parents. The writer also found that bodily “norms” are in flux, and points to bodies in the history of art, ie: David and in pornography.

The author presents an extensive and balanced debate re: the pros and cons of foreskins. Unlike pro-circumcision Charlotte in Sex and the City, Allan “[flips] the narrative that the foreskin is ugly, and instead [argues] that the foreskin is beautiful,” and he writes that “perhaps we ought to just leave the foreskin alone.”

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