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TABOO
- This article is about cultural prohibitions in general. For the Polynesian religious concept, see Tapu. For other uses, see Taboo (disambiguation).
A taboo is a strong social prohibition (or ban) relating to any area of human activity or social custom declared as sacred and forbidden; breaking of the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society. The term was borrowed from the Tongan language and appears in many Polynesian cultures. In those cultures, a tabu (or tapu or kapu) often has specific religious associations. It was a word brought back by Captain James Cook in 1777 after a long sea voyage to the South Seas and introduced into the English language.
When an activity or custom is classified as taboo it is forbidden and interdictions are implemented concerning it, such as the ground set apart as a sanctuary for criminals. Some taboo activities or customs are prohibited under law and transgressions may lead to severe penalties. Other taboos result in embarrassment, shame, and rudeness. Critics may argue that a taboo is created by those who are ignorant or afraid of an issue, and somehow a taboo was put in place to avoid disrespect to any given authority, be it legal, moral and religious.
Taboos can include dietary restrictions (halal and kosher diets, religious vegetarianism, and the prohibition of cannibalism), restrictions on sexual activities and relationships (sex outside of marriage, adultery, intermarriage, miscegenation, sex between people of the same sex, incest, animal-human sex, adult-child sex, sex with the dead), restrictions of bodily functions (burping, flatulence, restrictions on the use of psychoactive drugs, restrictions on state of genitalia such as circumcision or sex reassignment), exposure of body parts (ankles in the Victorian British Empire, women's faces in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, nudity in the US), and restrictions on the use of offensive language.
No taboo is known to be universal, but some (such as the cannibalism and incest taboos) occur in the majority of societies. Taboos may serve many functions, and often remain in effect after the original reason behind them has expired. Some have argued that taboos therefore reveal the history of societies when other records are lacking.
Certain taboos lose their stinginess over periods of time. In the United States and western countries, most people are now comfortable than before when they discuss and explore social issues: alcoholism, depression, divorce, income problems, personal issues of any kind, pregnancy and childbirth, and teen rebellion. Medical disorders and diseases like cancer, polio, AIDS and suicide aren't as heavily taboo than in the past. Certain personal things like age, height, weight and appearance are not always shared with confidents or in public, does indicate it is taboo to some people.
Taboos often extend to cover discussion of taboo topics. This can result in taboo deformation (euphemism) or replacement of taboo words. Marvin Harris, a leading figure in cultural materialism, endeavoured to explain taboos as a consequence of the ecologic and economic conditions of their societies. Taboos challenge ones' free speech and their rights to express a subject or issue in need to be addressed for the benefit, not to damage, any given society.
Also, Sigmund Freud provided an analysis of taboo behaviours, highlighting strong unconscious motivations driving such prohibitions. In this system, described in his collections of essays Totem and Taboo, Freud postulates a link between forbidden behaviours and the sanctification of objects to certain kinship groups. Freud also states here that the only two "universal" taboos are that of incest and patricide, which formed the eventual basis of modern society.
Taboo and art
Many contemporary artists deal with taboo images and ideas including:
See also
External links
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