Book

Blood revenge: the anthropology of feuding in Montenegro and other tribal societies

University Press of KansasLawrence, Kan.Published In 1984 • Pages:

By: Boehm, Christopher.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Based on ethnohistorical research and field work, Boehm examines feuding behavior among the Montenegrins prior to the establishment of the Yugoslavian state. The author argues that, in the absence of a centralized authority which the Montenegrins have always strongly resisted, feuding serves as a moral sanction. Boehm carefully outlines the trajectory of feuds to show the various paths they take and the kinds of decisions made along the way, which can lead to either their termination or escalation. He emphasizes the pacification process which involves a tribunal of elders who step in to adjudicate feuds in the interest of maintaining tribal solidarity and strength. Also, he considers feuding's affect on mortality and migration, arguing that feuding functions to reduce population pressure on the land. In the last two chapters Boehm examines feuds cross-culturally and outlines a general theory on feuding behavior.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Ethics
Ingroup antagonisms
Clans
Tribe and nation
Informal in-group justice
Inter-community relations
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Montenegrins
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
1997
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Europe
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southeastern Europe
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Ian Skoggard ; 1996
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1963-1966, 1975
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
18th-19th centuries, 1963-1966
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Serbia and Montenegro
NotesAdditional notes
Christopher Boehm
Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-258) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
84002203
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Montenegrins