Honor-based violence (HBV) is a serious concern for women and girls from particular ethnic backgrounds. Unfortunately, while the sociology discipline pays significant attention to gender-based violence in western contexts, HBV is a topic under-studied in the field. This article reviews the literature on HBV, typically coming from social work, cultural studies, and feminist studies, and focuses on the phenomena's link to notions of masculinity and femininity, its collective nature, and the ways an Orientalist discourse has developed in western regions that address HBV. The article closes by identifying gaps in the existing literature, and offers suggestions for future directions.