Poster #6 - Explaining Honour-based Violence: Theoretical Paradigms, Classification Debates, and Implications for Institutional Intervention

• In Event: Poster Session I (posters 1 - 79)

Abstract

Honour-based violence (HBV) occupies a contested position within criminological theory, situated at the intersection of culture, gender, and institutional governance. This study examines how HBV has been theoretically conceptualized in recent scholarship and how these framings shape proposed institutional responses. Drawing on a systematic review of 40 peer-reviewed articles published between 2016 and 2023 and indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, the study identifies dominant theoretical paradigms and analyzes their policy implications. Three main paradigms emerge. Culturalist approaches explain HBV primarily through religious norms and community traditions; gender-based violence frameworks conceptualize HBV as an expression of patriarchal power and human rights violations; and integrative approaches combine cultural, gendered, and structural factors such as education and socio-economic conditions. While gender-based frameworks dominate contemporary discourse, scholars increasingly recognize the limitations of exclusively punitive responses. Across paradigms, there is growing support for prevention-oriented, survivor-centered, and culturally sensitive interventions. The findings demonstrate that theoretical classifications directly shape institutional prescriptions. Persistent conceptual tensions may hinder coherent intervention strategies, underscoring the need for integrative frameworks bridging feminist, cultural, and critical criminology in the study of HBV.

Authors

• Steffany Montoya, University of Lleida

• Carolina Villacampa, University of Lleida