Skip to main content
Dictionary
Store
Blog
World
Help
Advertise
Chat
System Status
Information Collection Notice
Trademark Concerns
reCAPTCHA Privacy
Terms of Service
reCAPTCHA Terms
Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Report a Bug
Data Request
Contact Us
Security
DMCA
© 1999–2026 Urban Dictionary ®
Mugs
Tees
Hoodies
Pro Customization
Create unique products with your own words and definitions
Preview
Personalize Your Design
Your Word
Your Definition
The study of social stigmas—how they are constructed, attached to groups or behaviors, and used to enforce social order. Stigmology examines the processes by which certain traits (disability, illness, criminal record, non-normative identity) become markers of shame or danger, and how stigmatized individuals are excluded or disciplined. Drawing on Erving Goffman, critical disability studies, and race theory, stigmology reveals that stigma is not inherent in any trait but is socially produced and historically variable. It also studies resistance: how stigmatized groups reclaim, refuse, or reinterpret the marks of stigma.
Text fits
Save
Cancel