The personal injury in the customary law of Northern Albania: historical and literary considerations
Main Article Content
Keywords
Kanun by Leke Dukagjini, personal injury, Albanian customary law, customary law, legal tradition
Abstract
Background: The Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, the customary legal system of Northern Albania, governed the social and legal life of local communities for centuries, regulating every aspect of life, including compensation and the management of personal injury. One of the least studied aspects of the Kanun concerns personal injury and how it was to be compensated.
Methodology: This study is based on the analysis of existing literature on the Kanun, with particular attention to historical documents and literary interpretations.
Objectives: The analysis aims to explore the pragmatic approach of the Kanun to managing personal injury, highlighting the economic and symbolic logic underlying compensation.
Results: In the absence of a centralized judicial system, conflict resolution occurred through arbitrators (“senior arbiters”), chosen for their wisdom and impartiality, often involving Kanun doctors to assess injuries. Compensation followed predefined criteria.
Conclusion: Contemporary reflection on compensation and punishment can draw inspiration from this tradition, suggesting an evolution of modern systems towards greater integration between repair and prevention of harm, in line with the idea of a more holistic approach to justice.
References
2. Valentini G. Considerazioni preliminari e generali sul Kanun detto di Lek Dukagjini. Studime e Tekste. Roma: Serie giuridica; 1943, 29–97.
3. Schirò G. Prefazione. In: Gjeçov PS. Codice di Lek Dukagjini ossia Diritto consuetudinario delle montagne albanesi. Tradotto da Dodaj PP. Fishta P, Schirò G, editors. Roma: Reale Accademia D’Italia; 1941. p. 5.
4. Vaccaro A. Cultura albanese e tradizione giuridica. Considerazioni sulle consuetudini attraverso la storiografia e il racconto odeporico tra Ottocento e Novecento. Palaver 2021; 10(1):175–308.
5. Valentini G. Sulle origini militari della terminologia del Kanûn. Rivista d’Albania 1943; IV(II):59.
6. Hasluck M. The Unwritten Law in Albania. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1954.
7. Martucci D. Le consuetudini giuridiche albanesi tra oralità e scrittura. Palaver 2017; 6(2):73–105.
8. Illari, S. Le consuetudini giuridiche dell’Albania nel Kanun di Lek Dukagjini. Roma: Società Editrice del Libro Italiano; 1990.
9. Pepa E. Istitutiones Iuris of Albanian Consuetudinary Law. Acad J Interdiscip Stud 2015; 4(2):337–48.
10. Capra S. Albania proibita. Il sangue, l’onore e il codice delle montagne, con la versione integrale del Kanun di Lekë Dukagjini e saggi di Gjon Gjomarkaj e Arben Xoxa. Milano: Mimesis; 2000.
11. Cozzi E. La vendetta di sangue nelle Montagne dell’Alta Albania. Anthropos 1910; 5:654–87.
12. Yamamoto K. The ethical structure of Kanun and cultural implications. New York: Melosi Design; 2005.
13. Martucci D. Le fonti bibliografiche del Kanun. In: D’Alessandri A, Genesin M, editors. Popoli e culture in dialogo tra il Danubio e l’Adriatico. Contributi italiani al X Congresso Internazionale dell’Association Internationale d’Études du Sud-Est Européen, Romània Orientale n. XXII. Roma: Bagatto Libri; 2009. p. 109–27.
14. Giurga G. Il diritto consuetudinario albanese tra ricerca scientifica, finzione letteraria e rappresentazione mediatica. Shejzat 2020; 1-2:402–14.
15. Hahn JG. von Albanesische Studien. Jena: Verlag von Friedrich Mauke; 1854.
16. Durham ME. High Albania. London: Edward Arnold; 1909.
17. Biagini A. Storia dell’Albania contemporanea. Milano: Bompiani; 2005.
18. Malcom N. Storia del Kosovo. Milano: Bompiani;1999.
19. Martucci D. Il Kanun di Lek Duikagjini. Nardò (LE): Besa muci; 2013.
20. Infantino M. Diffusing Law Softly: Insights into the European Travels of Italian Tort Law. JETL 2015; 6(3): 260–81.
21. White GE. Civil American Legal History. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2013.
22. Valentini G. Il diritto delle comunità nella tradizione giuridica albanese. Firenze: Valecchi; 1956.
23. Cordignano F. L’Albania attraverso l’opera e gli scritti di un grande Missionario Italiano. In: Pasi PD. Roma: Istituto per l’Europa orientale; 1933.
24. Kadare I. Aprile spezzato. Milano: La nave di Teseo; 2019.
25. Cozzi E. La donna albanese, con speciale riguardo al diritto consuetudinario delle Montagne di Scutari. Anthropos 1012; 7:309
Article Sidebar
Article Details
How to Cite
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Transfer of Copyright and Permission to Reproduce Parts of Published Papers.
Authors retain the copyright for their published work. No formal permission will be required to reproduce parts (tables or illustrations) of published papers, provided the source is quoted appropriately and reproduction has no commercial intent. Reproductions with commercial intent will require written permission and payment of royalties.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Rosagemma Ciliberti, Section History of Medicine and Bioethics, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genova, Genova, Italy
-
How to Cite
