The Cultural Conceptualization of Love in the Sindhi Folktale Sassui Punhun: A Boasian Linguistic-Anthropological Analysis

Abstract

This study attempts to interpret the cultural concept of love through the Sindhi folktale of Sassui Punhun using a linguistic-anthropological approach. Drawing on the framework of Boasian cultural relativism, the study examines the use of metaphors and idioms to uncover culturally embedded conceptions of love and to explore the emotional ideologies represented in the cultural traditions of Sindh and Balochistan. For this purpose, the original Sindhi text of Sassui Punhun is drawn from Shah Jo Risalo, edited by Kalyan Advani (2012), while Elsa Kazi’s English translation is consulted to facilitate the interpretation and contemporary discussion of culturally embedded conceptions of love. The study identifies and analyses 25 metaphors and 25 idioms in relation to the Boasian principle of cultural relativism. The rationale of the study is grounded in the view that culturally specific conceptions of love may become obscured when interpreted exclusively through contemporary or universalizing perspectives. An anthropological textual analysis of Sassui Punhun therefore provides an opportunity to revisit culturally embedded understandings of love and the values associated with emotional commitment, suffering, sacrifice, courage, and perseverance. The findings suggest that the concept of love varies across cultural and social contexts and that cultural systems play a fundamental role in shaping its linguistic and conceptual representation. From a Boasian cultural-relativist perspective, love does not occur in isolation; rather, it is represented as a culturally situated experience involving consistency, courage, suffering, pain, hardship, and enduring commitment. These dimensions are particularly evident in the representation of Sassui’s experiences throughout the folktale. The study is limited to the analysis and interpretation of selected metaphors and idioms in Sur Sassui within the framework of Boasian cultural relativism. It contributes to linguistic anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, and the interdisciplinary study of folklore and literature by demonstrating how figurative language can provide insight into culturally situated conceptions of love.