2. taboo |tə ˈ boō; ta-| (also tabu)  “A social or religious custom prohibiting or restricting a particular practice or forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing” (“Taboo,” 2013).  A topic or action that is “off-limits”

3. Why do they exist?  Social Construct  Taboos can vary greatly  Some taboos are stable across cultures  Etic: elements that are UNIVERSAL cross-culturally  Incest, adultery, death– taboos created around these concepts aided reproduction and survival  Emic: elements that are CULTURE-SPECIFIC  Culture-specific taboos enforce social rules and beliefs  Ex. Language  Phonetics- sound system that allow people to communicate  Phonemics- sounds systems that are distinctive to one culture (What is Culture, 2012)

4. Why do they exist?  Created to discourage maladaptive behaviors  Practical application  becomes tradition  Created to enforce social rules  Often understood without being explained

5. Why do they exist?  Definition of culture:  “A unique meaning and information system, shared by a group and transmitted across generations, that allows the groups to meet basic needs of survival, pursue happiness and well being and derive meaning from life ( Matsumoto, 2011 ).  Elements of Culture  Values  Beliefs  Norms  Attitudes  World Views

6. Google Image Search: “Taboo”

8. Tattoos, Piercings and Self-Mutilation Figure 1. Elaine Davidson, record holder for body piercings. (National Geographic Channel, 2013)

9. Tattoos, Piercings and Self-Mutilation

10. Tattoos, Piercings and Self-Mutilation: Religious Tattoos, piercings, and body markings have played roles in many cultures throughout history  Identification  Protection  Decoration  Religion A young monk is tattooed with a sharp rod near a Buddhist temple in Thailand. Tattoos are believed be spiritually protective Figure 2. Monk receives religious tattoos (Tattoos, piercings, and scarification, 2013)

11. Tattoos, Piercings and Self-Mutilation: Henna Tattoos  Practice is hundreds of years old for women  Africa  Middle East  South Asia  Henna leaves  Trendy in recent years  Designs ward off evil or declare happiness. Figure 3. Hennaed hands (Tattoos, piercings, and scarification, 2013)

12. A Mursi woman from the Omo Valley in southern Ethiopia has face markings and an ornamental clay lip plate, considered signs of beauty in this culture. Colorful beadwork covers the ear of a Maasai man in Kenya. Both men and women Maasai wear earrings and stretch their earlobes to enhance beauty. Beauty Enhancin g Tattoos, Piercings and Self-Mutilation Figure 4. Adorned Ethiopian tribal woman (Tattoos, piercings, and scarification, 2013) Figure 5. Beadwork on man in Kenya. (Tattoos, piercings, and scarification, 2013)

13. Public Displays of Affection An etiquette book for tourists going to Malaysia recommends, “no public displays of affection” (not even holding hands) (Sonne, 2008)

14. France “ Public displays of affection are as common as croissants (Paris, 2013) ”

15. Polygamy and Extra- Marital Relationships

16. Figure 6. World Map of Polygamy (Creative News Group, 2009)

17. Sexual Practices  SEX taboos  Religious Figures  Before Puberty  Child brides (Not Ready to Wed, 2011)  Sex-Positive cultures  Sex-Negative cultures (Bhugra, Popelyuk, & McMullen, 2010)  Sexual Experimentation  Bestiality (Zoophilia, 2013)

18. Incest virtually every culture in recorded history has held sibling or parent- child partnerships taboo (The risks and rewards of royal incest, 2010)

19. Some More Taboos: In Conversation  Asking adults age  “Are you married?”  Politics, religion, economic and social issues?  Discussing one’s weight  Calling people by their names without their permission  In Costa Rica  “How much do you make?”  Don’t criticize the royal family in Thailand!

20. So what?  What do we do with this information?  Taboos are a fascinating component of culture  They are not fixed  THINKING CRITICALLY: Just because the culture largely rejects it, doesn't mean its wrong, and universal acceptance also doesn't mean its right.

21. Reference List  Bhugra, D., Popelyuk, D., & McMullen, I. (2010). Paraphilias across cultures: contexts and controversies. Journal of Sex Research, 47(2-3), 242–256. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224491003699833  Creative News Group LLC. (2009). Worldfocus. Polygamy across the world. Retrieved from http://worldfocus.org/blog/2009/11/02/is-polygamy-good- for-women/8100/  Dobbs, D. (2010). The risks and rewards of royal incest. National Geographic. Retrieved from http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/09/tut-dna/dobbs- text/1  Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2011). Introduction to multicultural psychology. Culture and psychology (5th ed., pp. 22-23). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Print.  Not ready to wed: child brides. (2011). National Geographic News Watch. Retrieved from http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/09/28/a- conversation-about-child-brides/childbrides/  Paris in Black and White. (2013). National Geographic. Retrieved from http:// travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/paris-photos-2/#/paris-cafe- marly_2369_600x450.jpg

22. Reference List  Sonne, L. (2008). A light orgy in malaysia. Intelligent Travel: National Geographic. Retrieved from http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2008/12/11/ a_light_orgy_in_malaysia/  Spencer-Oatey, H. (2012). What is culture? A compilation of quotations. GlobalPAD Core Concepts. Retrieved from http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/globalpad/interculturalskills/  “Taboo.” (2005). Def. New Oxford American dictionary. 2 nd Edition. Oxford University Press. Electronic.  Tattoos, piercings, and scarification. (2013). National Geographic. Retrieved from http:// travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/tattoos-piercings-scarification- photos/#/buddhist-monk-pray-tattoo_12070_600x450.jpg  Zoophilia and the law. (2013). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Zoophilia_and_the_law