Book

Dispute and settlement in rural Turkey: an ethnography of law

E.J. Brill23 • Published In 1978 • Pages: vii, 304

By: Starr, June.

Abstract
This is an ethnography of dispute management at the village level. In 1920s, under the new Republic, Ataturk abolished the Islamic Shari'a courts and adopted the Swiss Civil Code. The Republic also instituted the Village Law of 1926, which incorporated villages into the state administrative and legal systems. The author examines disputes in a village in western Turkey. Disputes are handled in one of three ways: i) locally within the village on an informal basis, ii) formally through state legal agencies, and iii) both avenues are used. The author finds that the local village head and council are not used at all by villagers. Instead one of the two richest villagers are sought out to help adjudicate disputes. The author also found that a quick resolution is achieved in cases where the status difference between disputants is great. She also discovered that judges in the higher courts are sensitive to local customs and try to achieve resolution satisfying to both parties even if such resolution takes years of suits and countersuits.
Subjects
Informal in-group justice
Offenses and sanctions
Justice
culture
Turks
HRAF PubDate
2012
Region
Middle East
Sub Region
Middle East
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard; 2012
Field Date
1966-1968
Coverage Date
1966-1968
Coverage Place
Bodrum District, Muğla Province, western Turkey
Notes
by June Starr
Includes bibliographical references (p. 279-291) and index
LCCN
82461751
LCSH
Dispute resolution (Law)--Turkey