Features of Vendetta in Crete in the 20th–21st Centuries

Abstract

Despite the island being associated with a popular tourist destination on the coast, the mountain villages of western Crete in the regional units of Heraklion, Rethymno, and Chania, due to their isolation, preserve a traditional way of life. Vendetta still remains an active mechanism for dispute resolution, restoration of justice, and maintaining social order and community honor in the studied  area. The article investigates the reasons for the persistence of the blood feud custom over many centuries and its current relevance. Special attention is given to the formation of an internal “justifying” discourse surrounding the Cretan vendetta as an important element of local identity and the perception of this discourse from the outside, as well as the problems of interaction between central authority and customary law, which in this case are not always in a state of rigid opposition. The article draws on various sources, including anthropological studies, Greek-language media, and informant interviews, which provide a comprehensive understanding of the attitudes towards the phenomenon of blood feud in Greek society at both the national and local levels.