Embodied Honour and Law: Tribal Patriarchies, Bedouin Honour, Crimes of Passion, and the Citizenship of Women
This research looks at myriad subjects concerning honour crimes in the Middle East. First, it seeks to define the concept of honour within the Arabic culture; from this definition one can gain an understanding of the crimes that stem from the notions of family honour. Honour is inherently the property of the male members of the family; conversely, it is embodied in the family females. When a female's body or honour is damaged, so is that of the family, and the men must restore it. The honour crimes are aimed at harming or killing a female family member to restore honour. The research uses an encompassing methodology: it attempts to look at not only the crimes themselves, but also the context in which they occur. It looks to the history of the region, political, legal, and religious. It also looks at the current situation in the Middle East, both legal and political, as well as the recent events which have exacerbated the problem of honour crimes. The research seeks to combine all of these factors and presents two arguments. The first is that the recent global political events have strengthened the hold of the Islamists in the Middle East. This increase in power has led to the devaluation in women and the concurrent rise in honour crimes. The second argument is that it is possible to create legal codes that meet international standards by looking to truly Islamic law. Finally, the research examines in brief the role the West plays in this problem, and the role it will hopefully play in stopping the problem.
School:
Barnard College at Columbia University
Department:
Philosophy
Research Advisor:
Kal Alston
Department of Research Advisor:
Women Studies Program
Year of Publication:
2003