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taboo

Also known as tabu

A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people. Such prohibitions are present in virtually all societies. Taboos may be prohibited explicitly, for example within a legal system or religion, or implicitly, for example by social norms or conventions followed by a particular culture or organization.

AI overview

A taboo is a social prohibition against certain words, behaviors, or actions that a group considers deeply offensive, repulsive, or sacred—often restricted to specific people or circumstances. Taboos exist in all societies and are enforced either through formal rules like laws and religious codes or informal methods like cultural customs and social expectations.

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Research

4,231 papers

The last taboo?Oncology nursing forum · 2014Katz ADOI: 10.1188/14.ONF.455
A last taboo in public health.The Lancet. Public health · 2022The Lancet Public HealthDOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00175-X
Food taboo practices and associated factors among pregnant women in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2023Debela BG, Sisay D, Hareru HE et al.DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30852-0
Taboo?Journal (Indiana Dental Association) · 2015Drone J
[Sexuality--a taboo topic?].ReviewZentralblatt fur Gynakologie · 2002Zettl SDOI: 10.1055/s-2002-38123
Taboo language across the globe: A multi-lab study.Behavior research methods · 2024Sulpizio S, Günther F, Badan L et al.DOI: 10.3758/s13428-024-02376-6
Break the taboo with poo.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2021DOI: 10.1038/s41575-021-00528-z
Anorexia: the great taboo.The lancet. Psychiatry · 2021Bryant EDOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(21)00362-X

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Wikidata facts

Image: Tabu in Bora Bora.jpg

Sources (8)

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~15 min read

Article

11 sections

Contents

Etymology
Examples
In religion and mythology
Greek
Abrahamic
Function
Modernity
See also
References
Bibliography
External links

Taboos are often meant to protect the individual, but there are other reasons for their development. An ecological or medical background is apparent in many, including some that are seen as religious or spiritual in origin. Taboos can help use a resource more efficiently, but when applied to only a subsection of the community they can also serve to suppress said subsection of the community. A taboo acknowledged by a particular group or tribe as part of their ways aids in the cohesion of the group, helps that particular group to stand out and maintain its identity in the face of others and therefore creates a feeling of "belonging".