Book Reviews

VIOLENCE IN THE find a variety of expressions in lan- intent of the volume, all three chap- NAME OF HONOR: guage, law, religion, education, cul- ters require the reader to contextualize THEORETICAL AND ture, the popular media and more. In their analyses and understanding in their introductory chapter, Mojab culturally specific ways, while keep- POLITICAL and Abdo identify several factors that ing in mind, as Abdo explains, the CHALLENGES mitigate our understanding (even if historical, structural and institutional to limit it) of . Broadly stated, levels of society to more fully under- Shahrzad Mojab and Nahla Abdo, they are as follows: the androcentric stand the propagation of such crimes. Eds. nature of gender relations; legal and Additionally, the contributors to this Istanbul: Istanbul Bilgi University extra-legal inequalities that exist; the section ask us to look closely at the Library Press, 2004 state’s reluctance to educate and in- socio-economic, political, and juridi- tervene; Western racist tendencies cal forces of the state that come into REVIEWED BY NADERA that identify male violence as an en- play when examining the causes and SHALHOUB KEVORKIAN demic component of the “nature” of effects of gender violence. Abdo pays the Other. As Mojab and Abdo state particular attention to the colonial in their introduction, femicide, or as legacy of gender violence, and Sirman The volume of collected essays, Vio- they name it, “violence in the name looks at the post-colonial state. lence In the Name of Honor, advo- of honor,” carries a “complex web of Elden’s contribution pays particular cates for feminist analyses that would contradictions between conscious- attention to the voices of actual enable the development of a femi- ness and reality, knowledge and prac- women who have been victims and nist epistemology regarding the crime tice, the individual and the state, the survivors of gender violence. of femicide. In doing so, the authors agency and the institution, national- The second section of the book construct a critical approach that is ism and feminism, religion and poli- reflects the unique, activist efforts by informed by an anti-racist under- tics and culture and politics.” the contributors and community standing of violence in the name of The book is divided into four main centres, as exemplified by the essay “honour,” which takes into account sections. The first section is a theo- “Community Struggle Against Hon- the global, local and national con- retical exploration of “honour” kill- our Killing” both in Turkey and texts in which femicide occurs. In ing. Here Mojab’s contribution looks Sweden. What struck me the most thus contextualizing the crime, the closely at the origin of gender rela- about these contributions was the editors and the authors in the vol- tions that perpetually (re)produces a constant attempt to build interven- ume attempt to both exceed and regime of , tions on behalf of the women by counteract the orientalist limitations and presents various ideas that may listening to those voices, as well as that traditionally prevent a cogent aid in preventing femicide, while she using the voices themselves as acts of and anti-racist analysis of femicide, discusses both short and long term witnessing and a way of speaking even within feminist critical prac- strategies for intervention. In her back to the violence perpetrated tices. As the essays suggest through- contributions to this section, Nicole against them. Despite the specificity out, attempts to critically understand Pope discusses the way honour kill- of the contributions, on some levels femicide often disintegrate under the ing is an instrument of patriarchal these essays transcend the specific. pressure of an “us”/ “them” binary. control, and compares violence For example, when reading about Through the collection of essays, against women in Western and in the experience of Turkish women Mojab and Abdo reveal how com- Islamic societies. She concludes by with gender violence, I become cog- bating femicide on both a material stressing the importance of promot- nizant of, and applaud the progress and theoretical level, as well as in ing local initiatives to combat such made by, the Turkish community challenging the pervasive gender wars crimes. The rest of the chapters in organizations; but I also understand on women, not surprisingly, encoun- this section focus on specific case- the burden we all carry as women, ters serious resistance from the patri- studies: Nukhet Sirman looks at the feminists, and citizens of the planet, archal powers in place. which in turn Turkish case, Nahla Abdo looks at when crimes are committed in the control the production and repro- the Israeli and Asa Elden writes about name of cultures and traditions. duction of epistemic practices that Sweden. In keeping with the general Nabahat Akkoc sums up the tran-

202 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIES/LES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME scendence of the ostensibly “cultur- involved. Hence, she believes that women that any researcher on the ally specific” when she writes in her due to the collective nature of the topic should find very useful. The conclusion “the cultural reasons for crime, the empowerment of women appendix is divided into sub-catego- the punishment of women in one through international agendas, hu- ries, which allows for an even more sentence; it is possible to collect hun- man rights laws, state, community, efficacious usage of the information dreds of practices of different cul- and the family is crucial. She con- presented. tures under a single heading: To cludes by stating: “Last … there is The main contribution of this ed- maintain the secondary status of need for deconstructing hegemonic ited volume lies in its investigation of women.” masculinities and engaging in a dia- Western epistemic practices, which Similarly, in advocating for a hu- logue and alliance with alternative however well meaning, have often man outcry against crimes of gender masculinities that are opposed to created neo-orientalist ideologies that violence and specifically “honour” oppressive uses of power.” have in fact denied specific groups of killing, as opposed to one that is Christina Curry’s contribution people a contextual understanding specifically a feminist, or woman- “Acting With Honour: Justice Not of their struggles against oppression, centred opposition, Leyla Pervizat Excuses In Crimes of So-Called and often eliminated serious inquiry stresses the need to re-define honour ‘Honour’ ” calls on us to use the term by further subjugating them to the killing within the community, to “honour” in a different way. She is unproductive dynamics of an “us”/ expose the ways in which male fam- calling on men and women to act ”them” binary. This volume does ily members also become victims of with honour and show respect for much to examine the ways in which an antiquated masculinized ideol- each other. She states: “I see a state of Western theoretical positions, some- ogy—and calls for the need to create ‘acting with honour’ not when it times even feminist ones, have shaped space for long-term changes within takes steps to protect all women in policies regarding violence against the culture. Such a “space” and the that state from violence and to pre- women, policies which have often creation and possible interventions vent violence against them—because (however unwittingly) prevented the of such a “spatialized” language, she this is their obligation before the formation of a more complete un- states, could offer individual men an law—but when they are world lead- derstanding of violence against excuse to avoid violence, while it ers in doing so.” Her contribution women, and in understanding the does not marginalize or abandon the therefore challenges Turkey as a state complex political, economic and his- larger project of a human rights dis- to “act honourably” and become a torical forces in which such violence course to provide a framework with world leader in campaigning against is often mired. which to speak back to the dynamics violence against women. Since no one can expect a single of gender violence. Additionally in section three, in volume of essays to cover or address Section three starts with an article contrast to the investigation of “hon- every issue that is endemic to such a by Yakin Erturk, the UN special our” killings in Turkey, the Swedish complex social issue as the crime of reporter on Violence Against contribution raises the importance femicide, I present the following re- Women, that is entitled: “Violence of recognizing other community marks not so much as criticism but as in the Name of Honour Within the struggles, mainly the effects of the possible venues for further study. Context of International Regimes”. increase of both hidden and appar- One of the issues that needs further She stresses the ways in which the ent racism in Sweden, and how such attention is the way in which vio- global patriarchal nature of gender racist perceptions mitigate reactions lence against women is individual- relations continually (re)produces the towards honour crimes. This essay ized in the West, while it is demonized subordination and inequality of by Niklas Kelemen takes an innova- as a cultural phenomenon elsewhere. women. She connects the liminal tive approach, whereby the author’s When notorious cases of violence concept of “honour” to power, and discussion centres not on women as against women surface in the West, argues that understanding of “[t]he victims of gender violence, nor on they are always analyzed as individual issue of honor … in diverse ways in human rights or feminist activists, aberrations, not as representations of different parts of the world, is impor- but rather on men. Kelemen’s essay, the violent tendencies of Western tant from the point of view of the “The Dialogue Project to Prevent men as a collective. Critical research integration of the individual into the Violence: Discussions with Fathers studies need to address how such group.” She suggest that while crimes and Sons,” juxtaposes the voices of perceptual inconsistencies affect our of “passion” generally involve vio- men with the voice of a Syrian girl analysis not just of the crime of femi- lence against women by an intimate who discusses the “ethical” (or un- cide, but violence against women partner, femicide is always already ethical), perceptions of men towards more broadly. implicated within a collective iden- “honour” killings. As a whole, the volume raises very tity that is socially (re)configured by Section four is a useful appendix important issues pertaining to femi- the public reputation of all the actors of research on violence against cide, and these issues are con-

VOLUME 25, NUMBERS 1,2 203 textualized in culturally specific ways, per reports, her personal journal writ- ranging from its consideration in ing and funny cartoons. It is a dis- Palestine to Turkey to Sweden etc. turbing, personal, and tragic, story. Thus covering the issue from the It tells how one act on one night can perspective of various societies and destroy a woman’s life, as she knew various contexts enables the authors it, resulting in years of poor physical to shed light on the salient issues and mental health, sleep terrors, se- facing us as feminist activists when crets kept from her family. At the dealing with femicide. I do wish that same time, the story of this the voices of the women who have unfolds within a brilliant framework been directly or indirectly affected as a public and political act. Jane Doe by femicide were more seamlessly turns this violent act against her per- integrated into the volume, rather son into a public act involving other than used somewhat sporadically. I women who have been raped – five admit this is a personal bias, in that by the same man. She engages femi- in my work not just on femicide, but nist support groups such as Women on women’s issues in the region gen- Against Violence Against Women erally, I prefer to have the voices of pert on rape. When my distraught (WAVAW), convenes community these women speak as directly as friend asked this expert about her meetings and sues the Metro To- possible. However, I would like to rape, she retorted that she had never ronto Police. She raises questions as conclude by saying that this collec- been raped, but was a professional to who benefits from this socially tion by Mojab and Abdo is a good expert on rape through her studies constructed and systemically sup- start for those who would like to of rape and by helping rape victims. ported form of violence against learn about femicide, and under- In the fall of 1986 I was taking a women. If three-quarters of men stand the ways in which Western course on violence against women. would not commit rape, what do perceptions of the crime and West- Lori Haskell, one of the instructors, they do to prevent this violence ern critical tendencies have affected brought a woman into the class to against their friends and loved ones? our understanding of it. speak to us about rape. This woman And how does one explain the evi- had also been raped in the summer dence that up to 80 per cent of of 1986, by a different serial rapist, are committed by men who are THE STORY OF a different Toronto neigh- known, who are “friends” and “loved JANE DOE: bourhood. He entered apartments ones” of the woman? A BOOK ABOUT on third and fourth floors through The book is not just about the locked balcony doors. She did not horrors of rape and the injustice of RAPE speak about studies of rape or her the justice system. There is life after work with rape victims, but from rape; as Jane Doe says “you can’t Jane Doe her own recent experience. She was keep a good woman down.” It in- Toronto: Random House of Canada to become an expert on rape. She cludes poignant examples of unwa- Limited, 2004 was the woman now known as Jane vering support and love, from her Doe. This book is her story. family as she was growing up to her REVIEWED BY MARION M. It is also much more than her friends who were her lifeline during LYNN story. It is the story of the intersec- the years after the rape. This woman tion of the personal and the politi- is Jane Doe only in terms of her legal In the heat of the summer of 1986, a cal, of the act of rape at the particu- fight; in the rest of her life she works friend was raped, in her own bed on lar, institutional, social and political in publishing, teaching and film, has the third floor of her house, by a levels. The book presents a unique a name and friends, lives an appar- serial rapist who had been stalking analysis of rape and of one woman’s ently normal life. her Toronto neighbourhood look- response to having been raped, show- Above all else this book is about a ing for an easy access through a screen ing in part that this is a profoundly woman suing the Metro Toronto door or open window. The police traumatic act of violence against Police for negligence in their failure knew what he was doing and were one woman by one man, and at the to protect, and of Charter violations tracking his path. They asked her if same time it is a deep, systemic in the subsequent investigation of she had been sleeping in the nude or attack on all women by all men. the rape. It provides great detail about wearing a provocative negligee. A The Story of Jane Doe, written in what is needed to carry out such a woman at the hospital rape crisis first person by the woman herself, is feat. Immediately after the rape centre introduced herself as an ex- illustrated with drawings, newspa- WAVAW members help her put up

204 CANADIAN WOMAN STUDIES/LES CAHIERS DE LA FEMME