Crime of passion: justice and emotion

Authors

Nuangnoi Boonyanate

Publication Date

2006-01-01

Abstract

This paper argues that, in the case of crimes of passion, women's groups should not demand a single standard of punishment for both men and women, and the abolition of the judge's discretion, but rather a different framework for understanding anger in the case of men and women respectively. The judgment in the controversial "Doctor Killing his Wife" case, committed five years ago in Bangkok, suggests that the understanding of emotion or passion on the pan of the judge, and possibly of the Thai justice system, is non-cognitive. As a result, any deep understanding of the mentality and of the impact of the socio-cultural environment on mentality is blocked. I give a brief outline of traditional Thai cultural settings to illustrate the social construction of emotion, and the different paradigm scenarios allowed for "appropriate" anger for men and women. In some cases of rage-killings by women, the rage has to be viewed not just on an individual basis, but also on a group basis, i.e. as an act of resistance by a member of an oppressed group.

DOI

10.58837/CHULA.ARV.19.1.2

First Page

35

Last Page

50

Recommended Citation

Boonyanate, Nuangnoi (2006) "Crime of passion: justice and emotion," Asian Review: Vol. 19: No. 1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.58837/CHULA.ARV.19.1.2
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/arv/vol19/iss1/3