Law and violence: a cross-cultural study

Journal of Anthropological Research • Vol/Iss. 33 • Published In • Pages: 388-399 •
By Masumura, Wilfred T.

Abstract

This article investigates how superordinate justice (whereby officials can arbitrate disputes involving homicide) and superordinate punishment (whereby officials can punish perpetrators of homicide) affect the level of internal violence in preindustrial societies. Results suggest that these two types of superordinate power do deter violent fatalities but that overall, “in order to increase violence substantively, arbitration authority over killings must be backed up by the power to penalize” (395).
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: Kate Cummings  Amelia Piazza