Femicide
A comparative analysis of the global epidemic of women’s murders
Prof. Arnon Edelstein
- Nonfiction
- Criminology
- Sociology
- Gender Studies
The Book
Intimate partner homicide. Wife killing. Domestic murder. No matter what we call it, femicide is a global phenomenon that transcends nations and languages. Yet unlike other forms of violence, femicide occurs not among strangers, but between two intimately familiar partners who often spent years sharing their lives, building a home, and raising a family.
In Femicide, renowned criminologist and sociology expert Prof. Arnon Edelstein breaks down the social and psychological aspects of intimate partner homicide. The culmination of years of research, his analyses offer new theories on the triggers, motives, and psychological profiles of men convicted of femicide.
While challenging traditional methods and pathologies, Edelstein provides groundbreaking insights into the cultural and sociological theories behind a global epidemic of violence. The book moves from the global scope and risk factors of intimate partner homicide, through the leading theories and a new typology of the men who kill, to the role of culture, religion and immigration, and closes with the author’s own quantitative research in Israel.
Why This Book Matters
It challenges the “violent macho man” stereotype. Prof. Edelstein shows that this stereotype fails to identify a significant percentage of potential murderers. His research distinguishes two killer types: the “Tyrant” (coercive, prone to escalating violence) and the “Subject” (dependent, kills out of fear of abandonment, often without any prior violence).
It is practical. The book points to intervention points and warning signs that current systems overlook, including the critical link between a woman’s desire to leave a relationship and a man’s dependent personality, and the lack of social support systems for men, which creates deadly anxiety in dependent partners. It offers actionable insights for prevention and intervention.
It is global, and it speaks across disciplines. The research draws on cross-cultural analysis, including immigrant communities (Ethiopian and former Soviet Union immigrants in Israel) and honor-based femicide, and applies to both developed and developing nations. It is relevant to psychology, sociology, criminology, law and gender studies.
About the Book
Genre: Nonfiction / Criminology / Sociology / Gender Studies
Publication: e-Book published in 2024 | 94,000 words
Author
Prof. Arnon Edelstein
Arnon Edelstein is a professor of criminology and one of Israel’s leading researchers of violent crime. Born in Jerusalem, he earned his B.A. in Sociology (1984), M.A. in Law/Criminology (1985) and Ph.D. in Law/Criminology (2000), all from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received the Judge Shalom Kasan Award for excellence in graduate studies from the Institute of Criminology in 1984. His master’s thesis analyzed the central theories of rape; his doctoral thesis examined delinquency and social deviance among Ethiopian immigrant youth in Israel.
He taught criminology for more than two decades: at the Hebrew University’s Faculty of Law (2000–2008), where he was named outstanding lecturer three years in a row, and at Kaye Academic College of Education in Be’er Sheva (from 1999), where he headed the Department of Informal Social Education and later served on the college’s senior academic and appointments committees. He has also lectured at Sapir Academic College, Ashkelon Academic College and Ariel University, and supervises criminology theses and doctoral committees at several universities.
Beyond the classroom, Prof. Edelstein has been a member of the inter-ministerial committee of the national program for the prevention of suicide and spousal homicide, served on prison service parole boards (2010–2013), and served as honorary treasurer of the Israeli Society for Criminology (2011–2019). He advises government bodies on immigrant youth at risk and family violence, rehabilitates prisoners, and gives expert opinions to courts and parole boards. His research has been funded by grants totaling about NIS 700,000, and he serves as a peer reviewer for international and Hebrew academic journals.
In his research, he combines psychology, sociology and criminology theories to explain crimes such as multiple-victim murder, serial criminality, terror and prostitution. His books include Multiple-Victims Murder: Criminology & Serial Killers, Mass Murder and Serial Murder: An Integrative Look, and, in Hebrew, Criminal Career and Serial Delinquency, Spouse’s Murder in Israel, Minors in Prostitution and Parricide among Children and Adolescents. He is also the author of the novels Serial Termination and The Next Boy to Die.
Rights Status
Publishing Rights Available
Translation Rights Available
Film Rights Available
Audio Rights Available
Comparable Titles
Readers of Femicide may also enjoy:
- Femicide: The Politics of Woman Killing, edited by Jill Radford and Diana E. H. Russell
- Homicide, by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson
- Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, by Lundy Bancroft
BISAC Categories
- SOC004000 – Social Science / Criminology
- SOC032000 – Social Science / Gender Studies
- SOC040000 – Social Science / Violence in Society
Themes
- Intimate partner homicide and femicide
- Murder-suicide
- Dependent personality and fear of abandonment
- The “Tyrant” and the “Subject”: a new typology of killers
- Separation as the leading trigger of lethal violence
- Justifications, excuses and techniques of neutralization
- Honor-based femicide and cultural-religious duty
- Immigration, acculturation stress and cultural conflict
- Prevention, support systems and de-escalation
Keywords
- femicide
- intimate partner homicide
- murder-suicide
- domestic murder
- women’s murders
- criminology
- Arnon Edelstein
- domestic violence prevention
- honor killing
- acculturation and immigrant violence
- psychology of killers
- gender violence
FAQ
What is Femicide about? It is a comprehensive analysis of the murder of women by their intimate partners: how widespread it is, what drives it, what kinds of men commit it, and how it might be prevented.
Who is Prof. Arnon Edelstein? A professor of criminology and researcher with a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who has published widely on serial and multiple-victim murder, youth delinquency, immigration and crime, and intimate partner homicide.
What is the book’s central finding? Forty percent of men who murder their partners never exhibited prior violence. The key factor in these cases is the link between the woman’s wish to leave and the man’s dependent personality, in the absence of a support system.
What are the “Tyrant” and the “Subject”? The two killer types in Prof. Edelstein’s typology. The Tyrant is coercive and prone to escalating violence. The Subject is dependent, and kills out of fear of abandonment, often with no prior violence.
Who is the book for? Academics and students in criminology, sociology, psychology and gender studies; law enforcement and legal professionals; social services and victim advocacy organizations; policy makers; and general readers of true crime and social issues.
Rights Agent's Notes
This is a timely, research-backed title on a persistent global issue, with a fresh and counter-intuitive central claim, and an author with deep academic credibility. It fits both the academic and professional market (universities, law enforcement training, social services, legal professionals) and the general trade market (true crime, women’s studies, social justice, policy).
The topic is universal and the research is cross-cultural, so the book is applicable to developed and developing nations alike, and especially relevant to countries with significant immigrant populations.