Hendrik Erz

Ozan Aksoy and Aron Szekely, Making Sense of Honor Killings, published in American Sociological Review, 2025

Studies that rigorously test micro-level mechanisms to explain the emergence and persistence of macro-social phenomena are inherently valuable and deserving of publication in leading scholarly outlets. Yet some contributions are especially significant because they address societal problems with profound moral and public implications. The work of Ozan Aksoy and Aron Szekely belongs firmly in this category, tackling a phenomenon that deeply affects communities and carries severe and enduring consequences for individuals and societies alike.

Their article presents an impressive and methodologically rigorous study that combines theoretical innovation with a sharply defined empirical focus. The paper is distinguished by its precise specification of explanatory mechanisms, its careful and thoughtfully constructed research design, and its successful integration of micro-, meso-, and macro-level processes within a coherent analytical framework. The methodological procedures are both innovative and transparent, enabling readers to clearly evaluate how the evidence substantiates the theoretical arguments. Equally remarkable is the clarity of the writing, which renders a complex and sensitive subject accessible without sacrificing analytical sophistication or nuance.

Importantly, the theoretical and empirical contributions of this work open promising new avenues for the study of collectively sanctioned violence, a field of inquiry that is both timely and urgently needed.

It was a genuine pleasure to read this article and an even greater pleasure to recognize its outstanding contribution by awarding its authors the prestigious 2026 Robert K. Merton Award.

The award committee

• Elisa Bellotti
• Federico Bianchi
• Marco Giesselmann