Feud is a long and sometimes murderous conflict between individuals, families, or groups. Feuds often occur in societies that lack a police force, other government law enforcement agency, or other form of central authority. They are also common in regions far from the center of authority or where central authority is hard to enforce because of rugged terrain or harsh climate. In addition, people inclined to take the law into their own hands frequently become involved in feuds. For example, feuds often occur among city youth gangs. Feuds that feature repeated bouts of violence for revenge are known as blood feuds.
Feuding has often been associated with uncivilized people who lack social control. However, in most societies, feuding is governed by strict rules. Thus, feuding represents a form of social control within a society rather than random violence.
Most feuds begin when a member of one group or family insults or harms a member of another group or family. Then members of the victim’s group seek revenge. If members seek to avenge a murder, they may kill the murderer or a member of the murderer’s family. One such attack leads to another, and the feud continues. Families may keep fighting for years. New acts of violence keep the feud alive.
Many feuds have occurred in the mountains of Afghanistan; on the islands of Corsica and Sicily; and among such isolated African herding societies as the Maasai and the Nuer. Anthropologists have written about famous blood feuds among Albanians of the Balkans and Chechens of the Caucasus Mountains region. Feuds also have frequently occurred in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. The bloody quarrel between the Hatfield and McCoy families was the most famous Appalachian feud. At least 20 people died in this conflict, which began in the 1860’s and lasted about 30 years.
There are several ways that the individuals or groups involved in a feud may reconcile and end the conflict. The two sides often agree to compensation that may involve exchanges of money or property, rather than merely agreeing to end the fighting. Feuding only ceases when both sides can agree on issues of blame and forgiveness.
