Hysterectomy, defined as the surgical removal of the uterus, is generally considered within a biomedical discourse focused on pathology, therapeutic indication, and clinical effectiveness. Yet such an approach tends to obscure the social and symbolic dimensions of this organ. In anthropology, the body is never purely biological: it is also the product of cultural constructions, social norms, and power relations.
I was trained to view the body not as a mere biological reality, but as a deeply social and cultural object, shaped by norms, representations, and power dynamics.