Da Lei do morrer ou matar: A tradição da vingança no sertão - Os Alencar contra os Sampaio (1949-1981)

Abstract

This work is intended to contribute to the understanding of a phenomenon that dominated the social relations of several locations in the Brazilian Northeast: the violent disputes between family clans, and its most characteristic facet, revenge. It seeks to analyze how these actions were established from a tradition of vendetta attributed to the region, and how the State dealt with these conflicts. To do so, it investigates whether a conflict that serves as a model; the question between the Alencar and the Sampaio, in the city de Exú, in Pernambuco, between 1949 and 1981. The article is supported by the intersection between journalistic sources and the historical context, aiming to perceive continuities and ruptures of this type of private war over time, as well as reflecting on the culture of blood that settled in that region. It is intended to encourage the production of future historiographic works on the subject.