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Articles on Taboo

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When politicians swear we might think they’re simply overcome with emotion. But there’s often more going on behind the language they use. (Shutterstock)

Politicians dropping the F-bomb: There’s more to it than you might think

Politicians dropping the f-bomb tend to be seen as acting out of emotion, but the way we use taboo language is often about what we can accomplish by violating rules.
A growing number of businesses across a wide range of industries are successfully selling voyeurism to their audiences. (Shutterstock)

Selling voyeurism: How companies create value from the taboo

Voyeurism provides a glimpse into the private life of another person to give audiences a revealing and entertaining experience.
Does citing a scholar run the risk of being perceived as validating not only the research, but the researcher? Michael Brace/flickr

Should academics cite those who have breached moral and humane borders?

Scholars have long encountered skeletons in the academic closets of peers and intellectual heroes. But is there a point where a scholar’s behaviour is so taboo that their research should be consigned to the academic junk pile?
There are very few spaces in which girls can discuss menstruation or ask questions about it. Reuters/Zohra Bensemra

How to break down the stigma and taboo around menstruation

Menstruation is a fact of life – but in many parts of Africa, it’s something that young women dread. A South African research group is working to change this.
We are still profoundly uncomfortable about the fact that females bleed once a month for half of their lives. Stuart Richards

The ongoing taboo of menstruation in Australia

Ask any young woman whether she feels embarrassed by her periods and she’ll likely deny it. Her grandmother might have hidden all evidence of “the curse” but not today’s liberated women. Right?

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