City Research Online

Abstract

This study examines the experiences of grassroots activists who are campaigning to end FGM. Seven semi‐structured interviews were conducted with women from the diaspora community in the United Kingdom. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis the researchers constructed five themes: ‘The path to activism’, ‘conflict and struggle’, ‘engagement with the community’, ‘doors opening and closing’, and ‘navigating between two worlds’. These results indicate that the participants' position within the diaspora community is an advantage for education and engagement purposes but there is a personal toll on their personal lives due to the cultural prominence of their work. This study also highlights that some of the participants do not feel that their activism work is always recognised or valued by Western anti‐FGM campaigns. Our research has implications for future support options for activists on the frontline of the anti‐FGM movement.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026 The Author(s). Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Publisher Keywords:	activism, change agent, community empowerment and participation, diaspora community, female genital mutilation, grassroots, interpretative phenomenological analysis
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Departments:	School of Health & Medical Sciences School of Health & Medical Sciences > Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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