VENGEANCE IS THEIR REPLY is a thorough inquiry
into the causes of 600 years of blood feuds on
the tiny South Pacific island of Bellona (Solomon Islands).
It is an important work for all those interested in
social anthropology, the social psychology of violence
and codes of honor leading to violence. There
are significant implications from these studies for
some aspects of the rule-governed behavior of certain
urban gangs whose internal ethics involve a rule set
and a governing honor code.
Dr. Kuschel's two volumes provide a rich set of
examples for further study and will inspire much discussion
and new thinking on the origins of socially
sanctioned killing. The reader comes away with a
new and chilling respect for the true consequences of
the ancient principle »honor super omnia«.