Menstrual Taboos: Moving Beyond the Curse

Abstract

Why do so many communities surround menstruation with taboos? And, are all menstrual taboos created equal? Gottlieb opens this chapter with an anthropological approach to the nature of “taboo” itself. From there, the chapter explores the wide variety of ways that the Hebrew Bible in particular, as well as several other religious traditions, have shaped menstrual taboos (including, but going well beyond, the notion of a “curse”). Such taboos have operated in diverse ways and diverse places, hence this chapter also explores how both individual and whole communities may experience them differently, including offering less negative interpretations. As such, the chapter introduces readers to a striking diversity of menstrual experiences. Moreover, people and communities in both the Global North and the Global South increasingly challenge taboos with creative activism. The chapter concludes with a brief survey of what has become a menstrual movement.