Sangue e perdono. Narrazioni identitarie e interpretazioni del codice d’onore nell’Albania contemporanea

In Albania, even today, the code of honor which takes the name of Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, has a cultural relevance that exceeds the boundaries of its original cultural area, which is located in the mountainous and 'savage' north. The Kanun is closely related to the sense of honor, which is an absolutely fundamental element for the identity of the local population. This paper presents a part of a qualitative research carried out in Albania, on customary law. We studied the transformations of the code in contemporary Albania and the problems related to the new interpretations of the Kanun, such as the revival of the ‘blood feud’ or the self-confinement of hundreds of families because of the fear of revenge. The approach was in line with interpretative anthropology. We analyzed the cultural context, by studying a diversified literature, and by carrying out field work, conducting qualitative semi-structured interviews, with people living in the Mirdita region, in northern Albania.