Between Solidarity and Sanction: Profanity as a Social Resource in Contemporary India

Abstract

Using taboo language is a powerful tool for expressing emotions, creating humor, and bringing people together, but it can also transgress and violate social norms and expectations. Since the impact of swearing depends largely on context, the acceptability of swearing must be considered in the context of particular cultural norms and the situation. This article presents the framework of Contextual Legitimacy that explores the context of acceptability of taboo language from the perspective of the speaker's intent, audience, target, power dynamics, and social consequence. Drawing on several theoretical frameworks and literature reviews, including the psychology of swearing, the speech-act theory, and politeness theory, as well as the works of researchers and philosophers like Timothy Jay, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Michel Foucault, the article also incorporates Indian theoretical frameworks and literature, such as Bhartrhari's Sphota doctrine and gaali-geet, a form of ritualized obscene folk performance. The article applies the framework of Contextual Legitimacy to modern Indian culture and explores the use of taboo language in Gen Z's peer-to-peer communication, digital comedy, and student protests. Applying the framework to these three areas demonstrates how one and the same swearword can be perceived and used in several different contexts, each with its own set of social and cultural norms and rules of engagement. Something that can be used in friendly male-to-male conversations, such as an obscene double entendre, may become an instrument of humor and satire in digital comedy or a tool for political expression in student protests. Something that is acceptable in peer-to-peer communication can be viewed as taboo and transgressive in a political context, and thus be subject to censorship and repression by the state. The article suggests that evaluating the context of swearing helps to determine its social and cultural legitimacy in a given situation more accurately than distinguishing between acceptable and taboo language. Contextual Legitimacy helps to understand why and how people use taboo language in specific contexts and what social and cultural factors contribute to such use. The article argues that the dynamics of using taboo language in India are particularly relevant to the phenomenon of Contextual Legitimacy, given the complexity of social norms and expectations in a country with multiple cultural and linguistic traditions. The framework can help to understand the intricacies of the use of taboo language in Indian society and its impact on social interactions and relationships.