Aron Szekely publishes groundbreaking research on honor killings in the American Sociological Review

Aron Szekely, Assistant Professor at Collegio Carlo Alberto, has co-authored a pivotal article titled “Making Sense of Honor Killings,” published in the American Sociological Review with UCL researcher Ozan Aksoy. This comprehensive study delves into the complex sociological phenomena of honor killings, highlighting their profound moral and societal implications.

Honor killings — tragic events occurring when women are perceived to have violated purity norms — present significant ethical dilemmas and underexplored sociological questions. Given the immense consequences, why do families resort to murdering their own daughters, nieces, or cousins? Conversely, what drives individuals to challenge these critical social norms despite the associated risks?

In this innovative research, Szekely and Aksoy characterize the key actors, actions, and incentives related to honor killings. They introduce two interconnected theoretical models: one focused on norm-enforcement and the other on norm-breaking. Notably, the norm-breaking model reveals a surprising insight: honor killings are more likely to happen when honor norms are contested, rather than when they are most strictly enforced.

Utilizing data from 24 countries and approximately 26,000 individuals, along with a unique dataset of honor killings in Turkey, the study supports its hypotheses about the dynamics of honor norms. The findings indicate that honor norms are intensified when legal systems show leniency towards honor killings, when the loss of family reputation carries serious consequences, and when community cohesion is particularly strong.

The research demonstrates an inverse-U-shaped relationship between actual killings and the prevalence of honor norms, offering crucial insights into this complex subject.

Szekely’s and Aksoy’s research significantly advances our theoretical understanding of honor norms and killings while providing one of the most comprehensive empirical analyses of the factors influencing these tragic events.

Read the full article
Learn more about Aron Szekely’s research