Tournaments of Power

In the 1970s, "modernization theory" contended that notions of honour would become obsolete in modern democracies. Being an archaic remnant of our pre-modern past, honour would be substituted by dignity under modern conditions. When honour does emerge as a valid social theme in modern society, as it sometimes does during court hearings, in gang fights, and in violent reactions to insult, it is often ascribed to immigration from pre-modern cultures where honour still matters in social life. Thus honour becomes part of the cultural baggage that is transferred to the host country through migration. However, the fact that highly modern social formations like MC gangs are also obsessed with honour seriously questions the validity of classical modernization theories. It seems that honour is not just a pre-modern weed in a modern garden of dignity, but an integral part of modernity. Since honour emerges under pre-modern as well as under modern conditions, it is relevant to ask under which circumstances it becomes a theme in interaction. Blurring the distinction between the modern and the pre-modern in this manner allows us to ask what honour is really all about. Containing international contributions from Scandinavia, USA, Mexico, Kurdistan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Japan, this volume provides first-hand ethnographic accounts and important answers to these vital questions.