CULTURE AND HONOUR KILLING IN HONOUR BY ELIF SHAFAK: A STUDY FROM CULTURAL-CRIMINOLOGY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The study aims to explore the issue of honor killing portrayed in the novel Honour by Elif Shafak through the lens of cultural criminology. Ferrell (1999) examines how cultural narratives, power structures, and social norms converge to perpetuate honor-based violence. It focuses how cultural logic fortifies honor killing, highlighting the relationships of patriarchy, masculinity, and communal control.  Incorporating a qualitative research design followed by a textual method of analysis, this study contributes to the cultural criminology paradigm by illustrating the value of literary and cultural analysis in understanding the nuanced relationship between culture and honor killing as portrayed in Elif Shafak’s novel Honour This study addresses three key research questions: first, it explores the connection between cultural criminology and honor killing; second, it investigates how cultural hegemony shapes the patriarchal mindset and its resulting impacts; and third, it examines the cultural influences that lead to the tragic fate of the protagonist, Pembe. Rather than focusing on a single community, the study offers a broad, universal perspective on cultural violence against women. It also aims to incorporate literature from diverse regions—including Africa, America, South Asia, and the Mediterranean—to highlight how various cultures suppress and constrain individuals.