Heder utifrån pojkars perspektiv : En kvalitativ studie om unga pojkars uppfattningar om heder och hederskulturer

Sammanfattning: Honor from boys’ perspective? A qualitative study of young boys’ perceptions of honor and honor cultures The aim of this study was to research and present the perceptions and views of young boys concerning honor and honor cultures. Furthermore, the aim was to examine whether young boys living in honor cultures experience differences between boys and girls, in matters concerning expectations, power and responsibility distribution in the family. Additionally, the aim was to examine whether these boys experience an obligation to preserve and protect the family honor. The method used in this study was a qualitative method consisting of semi-structured focus-group interviews. 13 boys were interviewed for this study, and divided into four focus-group interviews in total. The research I was able to conduct shows that there is no unified definition of honor although all boys described respecting yourself and your family as a main component in defining the term. Some of the boys emphasized that there are numerous components forming honor, such as religious and socioeconomic background, sexual orientation and political views. One finding also sheds light on categorization and classification of people in different groups; the categories mentioned by the boys in this study were based on nationality. Furthermore, the study shows that boys and girls in honor cultures are perceived to have different areas of responsibility. Power distribution differed between the sexes; the men were responsible for the family’s economic survival whereas the women were responsible for the home and family. Additionally, the boys experienced that expectations varied for boys and girl concerning manners and behavior. Lastly, the study shows that these boys in fact feel a sense of responsibility towards preserving and protecting the family honor.