To speak or not to speak with the whole mouth: Textualization of taboo subjects in Europhone African literature

Abstract

Taboos, since the dawn of time, have been used by human societies to regulate behavior and discourse. African writers are aware of these codes that regulate conduct, supposedly in the name of the common good. The article discusses taboo adherence and taboo violation in respect of death, madness, sex, and incest in Europhone African literature and concludes that African writers largely display a certain dynamism in their reaction to taboos. © 2006 Sage Publications.