Beyond Honour: A Historical Materialist Explanation of Honour Related Violence

This study attempts to look beyond the cultural notion of honour as the main/only motive behind gender based violence. By focusing on honour related violence in Muslim contexts, and especially in Pakistan, this study tries to explain the origin and persistence of the honour/shame code by applying Marx's Historical Materialist approach. This approach takes readers from the ancient, medieval to the modern/current histories of religious, legal, social and political institutions. The comparative historical approach in this study identifies the materialist/economic basis of the origin and persistence of honour related violence in some societies, and the absence of such violence in others. The study is a blend of academic research and personal experiences and observation that examine honour related issues through the lens of historical academic research along with a simple narration of present day stories of victims around the globe.