Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book suggests to interpret honor as equivalent to a reputation of morality. It examines how blood revenge fits in the model and its relation to the moral cowardice label. The book discusses honor killing: there are two types of honor killing; the relation between perpetrator and victim and motive. It deals with the relation between honor and stigma and the immense social and emotional effects of stigma. The book explains the relation between violence and stigma, and how the fear or fact of being stigmatized, and the necessity of ending this situation is related to acts of violence. It provides honor related violence occurs in six contexts: preventing, concealing moral deviance and restoring one’s reputation for morality, responding to moral insults and protecting oneself or others against moral deviance of others.