Blood Feud and Revenge Explained by Chechens: an Old Tradition in a New Context

This article examines the concept of ch’ir – the Chechen institution of blood feud and blood revenge, as Chechens themselves relate to this tradition and describe its place and function today. Drawing on semi-structured interviews in Chechnya and the diaspora, supported by historical and journalistic sources, we trace how traditional, so called ʿadat norms have been reinterpreted throughout modernization and wars. Chechens interviewed in the study described the elaborate steps in traditional dispute resolution and how following established procedures, infractions and offences may or may not result in a feud and exacting revenge. The accounts from our interlocutors contrast significantly with how blood feuds and revenge are described in the contemporary media sphere. Synthesizing our findings with previous research we conclude that the notion of ch’ir endures as both practice and symbol, adapted to Chechnya’s contemporary authoritarian context, major stakeholders, and public online discourse.