Explore 25 baffling taboos that once plagued society, from green hats to coffee bans. Uncover the strange rules and beliefs that shaped past civilizations.

Welcome to Up for Debate. Each week, Conor Friedersdorf rounds up timely conversations and solicits reader responses to one thought-provoking question. Later, he publishes some thoughtful replies.

Western societies love to pretend they’re open-minded—until you break one of their many, many unspoken rules and suddenly you're getting side-eyes, awkward silences, or a one-way ticket to the ...

Social taboos in Pakistan make the controlling the HIV epidemic in men who have sex with men (MSM) very difficult. Outreach programmes must reach subpopulations in MSM, and there are commendable signs ...

Having your cellphone battery die is an annoyance, but apparently in Japan it could lead to social ostracism according to an article in Online Journalism Review about how cellphones are changing the ...

Applying anthropology to business means asking the big questions. How does communication influence culture? How does language continue to evolve? And what are the hidden assumptions that shape our ...

This research is conducted together with Ming Zhang of the UK-China Media and Cultural Studies Association, who made important contributions to this piece. Menstrual health and sanitary towels have ...