Family Killing Fields

Abstract

The authors argue that cultural and personal systems of honor that depend on the behavior of others are an integral part of the killing of women by their families or intimates. Comparing patterns of conduct in both traditional cultures and English-speaking countries, this study focuses on the basic elements of such honor rationales—control, feelings of shame, and levels of community involvement—to establish that such rationales are a worldwide phenomenon. An appreciation of such honor systems adds an additional theoretical dimension both for understanding the incidence of male intimate violence in English-speaking countries and for cross-cultural comparisons. Furthermore, it contributes to the current need for a theoretical framework that accounts for cultural and contextual patterns of male intimate violence.