Cultural Defense
Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict January 1, 2022 A. D. Renteln
When cultural practices conflict with the law, judges face difficult decisions. Alison Dundes Renteln analyzes hundreds of cases from the United States and around the world, including a Navajo defendant using peyote for spiritual exaltation, an Ibo man suing an airline over his mother's corpse being transported in a cloth sack, and two Cambodian men prosecuted for eating a puppy. She demonstrates that there are discernible patterns to cultural arguments used in courtrooms. Renteln argues that a systematic treatment of culture in law is possible and more equitable, and that including evidence of cultural background is necessary for fair hearings.