Conflating the map with the territory: Challenges for evidence syntheses on homicide in a global context

Homicide is a global burden that is unequal in risk and distribution. However, evidence required for prevention is currently fragmented across different systems of knowledge production, creating challenges in the form of missing data. Viewed through the sociology of quantification and knowledge production, this article provides methodological and ethical reflections on conducting a global systematic review of sex/gender-disaggregated homicide data. In doing so, it highlights epistemological and ontological differences that risk becoming obscured in global, comparative work on violence. The systematic review consisted of a four-step search strategy: electronic database searches, hand searches of statistics, ministry, and police websites, citation tracking, and email survey of statistics offices. Studies were included if they reported prevalence data on homicide which was sex/gender-disaggregated (by victim/offender relationship, sexual aspects, and/or motivation) by both women and men. From 194 WHO-recognised countries, data were available for just under half (n = 84). However, there were pronounced differences between countries and regions regarding the availability of data. To avoid conflating the 'map with the territory' as others argue, this article follows the call from Dalmer for critical knowledge synthesis which builds contestation in to systematic review and recognises evidence in a wider (and unequal) system of knowledge production.