In the Name of Fathers: Honour Killings and Some Examples from South-eastern Turkey

Starting from patriarchal power and authority, this article explores the control of girls/women under classic patriarchies, particularly virginity, forced virginity tests and honour killings (HK); that is, murder of a woman by her male kin after something she has done is interpreted as tainting her family's honour. The goal of all patriarchies is to control women's freedom, sexuality and reproduction, and older women are co-opted to enforce rules on younger women/girls in what Kandiyoti (1988) calls the "patriarchal bargain." Using examples from Turkey, a democratic country that aspires to membership in the European Union, this article proposes a multilevel approach to bring change to patriarchal systems