H onor K illing

Abstract

In recent years, violence against women and girls committed in the name of “honor” has attracted increasing attention across the globe. Unfortunately, media accounts and policy discourses concerning honor‐based violence (HBV) and so‐called honor killings have principally viewed the problem through the lens of cultural essentialism. This entry seeks to identify and interrogate structures and ideologies that underpin HBV as a form of gender‐based violence. Furthermore, it avoids the common trap of simplistically viewing culture, ethnicity, religion, or nationality as the sole causal factor behind this complex phenomenon. Current understandings of the motivating factors behind HBV and the impediments to effective responses, regarding not just legal and political measures but also economic and social ones, are discussed and measures aimed at addressing it are offered.