Acta Historica Universitatis Klaipedensis

The article discusses honor issues in everyday practice with specific reference to Sicily. In the frame of analysis, honor refers to the politics of institutionalization of domination. The presented case studies on honor issues deal with the legitimization of superiority during the social interaction between two males, defined as the machismo game. The demolition of the established symbolical or actual hierarchy is the main goal and reason to provoke and/or enter the machismo game. Although a female is usually not a central factor in the male’s strategy for power, she may be a substantial contributing factor, even crucial to the outcome of the male’s game. Cultural context displays only the language and in what way the recognition of dominance is achieved in the social game does not alter its essence.