Citation

Shier A, Shor E. Violence Against Women 2016; 22(10): 1163-1188.

Affiliation

McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada ershor@gmail.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801215621176

PMID

26712236

Abstract

This article compares murder cases labeled "honor killings" with cases labeled "family/spousal murders" in the Canadian news media, exploring the construction of boundaries between these two practices. We conducted a systematic qualitative content analysis, examining a sample of 486 articles from three major Canadian newspapers between 2000 and 2012. Our analysis shows that "honor killings" are framed in terms of culture and ethnic background, presenting a dichotomy between South Asian/Muslim and Western values. Conversely, articles presenting cases as "family/spousal murders" tend to focus on the perpetrators' personalities or psychological characteristics, often ignoring factors such as culture, patriarchy, honor, and shame.

Language: en