ABSTRACT
Every society has disputes, and everyone in every society becomes involved in many disputes, some very minor and others much more serious, over their lifetimes. Many disputes involve two or more individuals: the students in the dorm room next to yours may play their music too loudly late at night; a married couple may fight a lot and begin thinking about divorce; siblings may contest a will after their remaining parent dies; in one of the many premodern societies studied by anthropologists, someone may steal sheep, crops, or other important goods. Other disputes involve various kinds of groups and organizations: a citizen group may challenge plans to build a “big box” store like Wal-Mart or seek to end mercury pollution of a nearby river; a department store may take action against someone with a longstanding unpaid bill; one corporation may accuse another corporation with copyright infringement.
