Honor Killings - the Survival of Patriarchy in Different Societies

Abstract: This thesis is an attempt to understand the process behind honor killings. This phenomenon has been unknown for most people in Sweden until two Kurdish girls were murdered. Both these girls, Pela and Fadime, were from Kurdistan. This thesis will compare the Swedish and the Kurdish society. The two most important purposes of the thesis are to see how the patriarchy is maintained in Kurdistan in different ways and how the Kurdish immigrants reproduce the patriarchal norms in Sweden. First a prologue that introduces the background for the thesis is presented. Thereafter the problem, purpose and the research questions for this thesis are introduced. Problems concerning the material will be explained, before the background part will give the reader necessary information on, for example, how the honor/ shame ethic functions. The theories on patriarchy is a fundamental aspect of the thesis and the first part of the analysis shows how the patriarchy functions in Kurdistan. The analysis will then present how the honor/shame culture reproduces in Sweden. Finally, a concluding discussion suggests that upbringing of children is one important aspect of the survival of patriarchy. Another reason is that men feel that they lose control over their family. Immigrant women conquer their freedom in the Swedish society. There is not one simple answer to why honor killings occur; rather it is a mix of different processes that can give us a deeper understanding. Keywords: · Honor killings · Patriarchy · Feminism · Kurds