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Richard E. Nisbett and Dov Cohen. Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996, 119 pages, softcover.
What is a culture of honor and how is it applicable to violence? The thesis of this book is that cultures that develop around a herding way of life are very vulnerable to the loss of the economic basis of the culture through theft or raiding by neighboring groups, particularly in the absence of a government strong enough to protect the group. Consequently, one of the most adaptive attributes that the male members of that culture can adopt is a reputation for physical aggression, toughness, and a willingness to kill and risk being killed in defense of the vulnerable resources. This reputation is vital because it tends to prevent attack; however, it also becomes necessary to constantly defend this reputation against threat and insult to avoid the appearance of weakness or vulnerability. Thus, the refusal to accept insults or even the appearance that one is weak or powerless is the essential meaning of a culture of honor. The idea that a sense of honor is associated with violence in the South is not new (e.g., Cash, 1941).
This book begins with the premise that there is a substantial difference between the Northern and Southern states (and those Western states primarily settled by Southerners) with respect to the incidence of lethal violence arising from argument or conflict situations-and not from homicides incidental to the commission of some other crime. Further, this difference is most apparent with respect to White men; and, even within the Southern states, there are differences to be found between those sections that were originally associated with a herding culture versus a farming culture. The reason given for no regional differences among Black men is the migration from the South to the North has occurred in recent decades; thus, not enough time has elapsed for differences to emerge. Remember, Brearly (1932) described the South as "that part of the United States lying below the Smith and Wesson line." p. 117).
There are a number of interesting and positive features of this book. First, compelling evidence from several converging methodologies is presented bearing upon the premise that the South is...