Biography
Parviz Sobhani is an independent researcher of Sociology at the University of Kurdistan. His research focuses on border affairs, violence, and social change in the Middle East. Her latest publications are “Landmines and Human Security in Post-Conflict Era: Analyzing the Narratives of Landmine Victims in Kurdistan Province, Iran” (Journal of Borderland Studies, 2024), “Border Villages and the Suffering of Kolberi: Focus on Kolbers Mothers’ Narratives of their Children’s Kolberi Experience” (Journal of Frontiers in Sociology: Section Migration & Society, 2024).
Abstract
Honor is a foundational yet restrictive sociocultural construct in Kurdish society of western Iran. Transgressions of its boundaries, particularly by women, are historically met with violent sanction. Despite processes of modernization, honor killings have re-emerged as a conspicuous phenomenon in Iranian Kurdistan, suggesting an active revival rather than a passive residue of tradition. This study employed a qualitative, interpretive phenomenological approach. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 social scientists and researchers from January 2022 to February 2024 in Iranian Kurdistan. A grounded theory framework guided the thematic analysis. Findings reveal a dual symbolic encoding of honor: it simultaneously signifies female chastity and the sanctity of the Kurdish homeland. This conflation elevates honor to an absolute, non-negotiable value and mandates collective defense. Perceived violations of women’s conduct or territorial/cultural boundaries trigger potent communal reactions. Moreover, selected religious interpretations and structural contradictions within Iran’s national legal code function not as deterrents but as catalysts that perpetuate and intensify honor-based violence. Honor killing in Iranian Kurdistan is not a medieval relic but a dynamic manifestation of an embattled identity system. Interventions focusing solely on legal reform are insufficient; sociocultural narratives that fuse gender, land, and ethnic survival must be addressed concurrently.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Sobhani, Parviz (2026) "The Revival of Honor Killing in Iranian Kurdistan: A Sociological Analysis of Gender, Land, and Identity," Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence: Vol. 11: Iss. 3, Article 3. https://doi.org/10.23860/dignity.2026.11.03.03
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Criminology Commons, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Near and Middle Eastern Studies Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Justice Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons