Revenge as sanction and solidarity display: An analysis of vendettas in nineteenth-century Corsica

Discussions of violence observe that dispute resolution in stateless societ ies often involves vengeance and collective responsibility for harm. These patterns are typically attributed to a distinctive cultural,world-view emph asizing collectivism. Collective hostility, is also a common theme in studi es of stateless domains,within industrial societies, where it is seen as a social pathology: Yet vengeance can also be understood as a purposeful sanc tion against collective aggression, rather than as a culturally prescribed response in aggression in general. Court records from Corsica are used to a ssess the rate at which murder was avenged, the determinants of revenge, an d patterns in the kin relationships involved. Vengenace was rare and typica lly occurred when the original incident involved collaboration or violence against nondisputants. Vengeance rarely extended beyond the nuclear family: When it did correspondingly distant kin of the original victim acted as av engers. Moreover, selection of vengeance targets Mas based on specific acts of solidarity, nor on abstract collective responsibility Accordingly, acts of revenge were calibrated to demonstrate that the aggrieved family's cohe siveness equalled that displayed by the offender's group. Viewed in this wa y, vendettas are highly strategic yet altruistic acts-calling into question the conventional notion that rational action is selfish.