Chapter 8 'You must keep your 'honour', a man without 'honour' is no man at all' 'Honour, masculinity and violence in Afghanistan Sayed Mahdi Mosawi Introduction 'Honour' can be described as the backbone of Afghan culture. It is the founda- tion upon which social status is built and conformity praised. The folklore, local languages and everyday life in Afghanistan give much emphasis on reputation, good name and respect. Dupree considers the main function of etiquette and
130 Sayed Mahdi Mosawi 'A man wit seeks to highlight the significance of HBA as a harm that jeopardises the health, safety and well-being of both women and men. 'Honour', masculinity and violence: the conceptual background 'Honour' is a basic social code that plays a significant role in regulating gen- der - 'a living system of social interactions' (Connell and Lecture, 2002: 14) that establishes hierarchies in cultures that deeply value it. In honour cultures, the concept of honour is particularly entwined with the notion of masculinity (Cohen, 2007). Gilmore (1990: 43-44) gives the examples of the Mediterranean where 'male honour' is extensively pronounced as a domestic duty. He adds that honour is about 'being good at being a man', and to be a man it is required to accept the 'expandability' and 'sacrifice' in the service of family, kin group mem- bers and societal values. Begikhani et al. (2015) also note that in honour-based patriarchal societies, a man is the ultimate head of the family and is considered as the defender of his family and their honour. As a result, men are expected to be constantly on the guard against threats and challenges to the individual and collective honour and to maintain it by demonstrating their power and strength. In a culture of honour, it is usually men who feel obliged to protect the reputa- tion and honour by taking much greater risks (Barnes et al., 2012), displaying physical aggression and also using force and violence (Cohen et al., 1996; Cohen, 2007; Brown and Osterman, 2012). Such violence can occur against women or other men. The issue of honour violence against women is well-discussed within debates on gender-based violence (Leverenz, 2007; Gill, 2011; Westmarland, 2015). This type of abuse, and in extreme cases, femicide, are justified by the alleged sexual misconduct of women who endanger the whole family's reputation and signify a source of shame and humiliation (Pitt-Rivers, 1966; Abou-Zeid, 1966). However, in order to understand and discuss HBA, it is not enough to uncover violence in women's lives only. One must also 'expose the way violence works in the men's lives . . . [both as] . . . perpetrators and victims' (Stanko, contact' (Polk, 2003: 135). But for the mal what is seen as a challenge to their standing (Benson and Archer, 2002). The male vic ferently, ranging from short term shock, fe the assault to long-term impacts and a sense abuse (Stanko and Hobdell, 1993). Men a killings, though much less in comparison w dering male victims involves the alleged