ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on criminal cases encountered in Algeria and the Sudan, which were settled through conciliation and blood money practices. It also focuses on the social and linguistic framework and context, in which concepts of intentionality are embedded; and the balance of power relations that affect the case to be settled. The chapter explores discourses about intentionality itself in relation to the local language of law, which is a part of the process for rationalization and formalization to fit these discourses into abstract legal or customary categories. In theory, the practices of conciliation and blood money depend on the type of crime committed. Intentionality is defined in relation to the social and linguistic framework of the crime and the context where judgment is passed. It is important to identify the people involved in interpreting and defining criminal cases, the framework in which they operate and the words and cognitive representations they use to attribute intentionality.
