Indigene Justiz im Konflikt

The book is an empirical study of the values, customary law and conflicts in Andean communities of Peru and Ecuador. These rural societies maintained their traditional conflict resolution systems both for reasons of cultural identity and because of the inability of the state to protect them against criminal offenders. Indigenous justice enjoys a positive reputation among village dwellers, especially because of its peacemaking function. On the one hand, indigenous justice generally reeducates, rehabilitates and reintegrates offenders back into their communities. On the other hand, critics of State Attorneys and Judges note that such indigenous legal practices do not always respect human rights.
This study examines the factors that influence the change of customary law and the indigenous judicial systems. The result is a portrait of indigenous cultures caught between “tradition” and “modernity”.