Taboos in Doctoral Socialisation
Learnings From the Indian Context
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21592474 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Aparna Chakravorty (0009-0000-8184-4675, O.P. Jindal Global University Sonipat Haryana India, corresponding author), Deepak Maun (0000-0002-9489-9920, KR Mangalam University Gurugram Haryana India), Sayani Chatterjee (0000-0002-5181-1108, Brainware University Kolkata West Bengal India) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 80 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Higher Education Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0951-5224 • E-ISSN: 1468-2273 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/hequ.70158 |
| OpenAlex | W7165945882 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 31 |
This paper explores taboos in doctoral socialisation in India. The qualitative study draws on 20 text‐based survey responses, 11 online interviews with current and recent PhD graduates and 20 social media snippets collected through netnography. Using the framework of Student Socialisation in Higher Education, the paper reveals three interlinked pathways through which taboos distort the doctoral socialisation process: (1) dysfunctional interactions with primary socialisation agents (supervisors and peers), (2) perverse integration into a culture of silence and submission and (3) the internalisation of hardship as a virtue—what we have called ‘learning to see the PhD journey as Tapasya’. We propose the concept of ‘malignant socialisation’ to describe a process in which students who have negative doctoral experiences are not failing to socialise but are being socialised successfully into a dysfunctional culture. Four properties define this malignancy: self‐perpetuation, the framing of harm as virtue: a cultural residue, structural rationality of silence and cultural legitimation. The study contributes to the higher education socialisation literature by reconceptualising taboos from content categories—topics that remain undiscussed—to structural mechanisms through which harmful norms are transmitted, legitimised and reproduced
Dysfunctional family · Harm · Qualitative research · Rationality · Silence · Socialization · Academic integrity and plagiarism · Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions · Higher Education Governance and Development
The PhD Experience
Netnography Today
Resilience as embedded neoliberalism
Unpacking the doctoral journey in India
‘ Shi men ’ as key doctoral practice
Socialization in Higher Education and the Early Career
Doctoral Research Environment in an Indian Institute of Higher Learning in Science and Technology
Guru-Shishya Relationship in Indian Culture
The online survey as a qualitative research tool
Contrasting the Socialization Experiences of Doctoral Students in High- and Low-Completing Departments
Cultural scripts
Theorizing and Researching the Dark Side of Organization
The Academic Resilience Scale (ARS-30)
Indian Women in Doctoral Education in Science and Engineering
"Tapas", Birth, and Spiritual Rebirth in the Veda
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |