A New Model of “Taboo”: Disgust, Stigmatization, and Fetishization

Abstract

Abstract The conceptualization of taboo within international relations (IR)—that is, what we understand to be taboo—is inadequate. Specifically, current analysis fails to sufficiently distinguish between taboo and non-taboo forms of prohibitory norm, where this failure often facilitates a tendency (explicit or implicit) to comprehend the concept primarily in terms of actor compliance with a taboo in question. This understanding is shown here to be analytically unrepresentative and that it sets unrealistic expectations for actor behavior, especially where those expectations are then employed as the foundation of quantifiable conceptual comprehension and study within IR. In response to this critical need for a new understanding of taboo relevant to IR, the article constructs an original analytic model based on disgust, stigmatization, and fetishization. The article additionally outlines the conceptual and methodological implications of adopting this new model, including where it subsequently demonstrates that taboos are more prevalent and more influential than certain sectors of the IR discipline have previously given them credit for.