Different Cultural Understandings of Honor That Inspire Killing: an Inquiry Into the Defendant's Perspective

Abstract

Though there is substantial literature on different cultural understandings of honor and shame that inspire violence, little has been written from the point of view of the defendants who have committed and have been found guilty of murder committed in the name of honor. To gain a better understanding of the different cultural perspectives of honor and shame that inspire honor killing, it is necessary to interrogate the accounts of these defendants and their understanding of actions as honorable and dishonorable. This article attempts to make a start in supplying this missing focus and argues that the concept of honor, here, is different from other honor-related homicides that other commentators and the relevant literature reflect.