Call for Papers

Some notes on the conference theme:

‘Taboo', originally a Pacific cultural complex with its various exemplars such as tapu, kapu, tabu, and tambu, is rare among ethnographic phenomena in terms of its impact upon a wider world. From the publication of James Cook's account of his first visit to Tonga, ‘taboo' steadily gained purchase not only within scholarly circles in the rise of anthropological thought but also within ‘Western' popular and public cultures more generally. While remaining an unsurpassed sign of the maintenance of boundaries within specific societies, it simultaneously helped to reinforce boundaries between ‘rational' and ‘irrational' peoples, thereby contributing to primitivist interpretations of the latter. Yet, despite the exoticism that has accompanied and underpinned this reception, ‘taboo' has become one of humanity's indispensable concepts, a true crossover hit that unites as well as it divides.

We invite conference papers on the general theme of the forbidding subject of ‘taboo'. Issues and ideas suggested by the theme include, for example:

• Analyses of the rise of taboo and related notions in the history of cross-cultural encounters in the Pacific and elsewhere, as well as in the history of anthropology and related disciplines.
• Reflections on the theories of Mary Douglas, who died earlier this year, and/or on the writings of other theorists whose works impinge on the conference theme.
• Ethnographic case studies of the past and present workings of taboo in social groups of all descriptions.
• Theoretical and methodological considerations of ‘no-go' zones in, and barriers to, anthropological thought and research.

The above are suggestions only. Presenters are encouraged to submit abstracts (of about 200 words) that interpret this theme as broadly, creatively and ingeniously as they wish. This is not a call to open slather, however: abstracts will be reviewed by the conference organisers, and preference will be given to topics that resonate clearly with the conference theme. We reserve the right to impose our own taboos.