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Dishonourable women? Infanticide and honour in Basilicata, 1880–1914

ABSTRACT In late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Italy, after conceiving an illegitimate child, women sometimes committed infanticide to restore their honour. The Italian Penal Code even included an honour excuse to justify such crimes, which could lead to a mitigated sentence. Using cases of infanticide from the southern Italian region of Basilicata, this article explores use of the honour excuse among women accused of infanticide. While the excuse was invoked in all infanticide cases, the statements and testimony from the proceedings show that saving their honour was not always the primary concern. Honour was tied to many other aspects of daily life, including the family’s reputation in society and its economic position. An examination of these cases shows that in committing infanticide and claiming the honour excuse, the accused women were largely motivated by social and economic consequences of dishonourable actions.