The article is an ethnography of the "feuds" (familievete/vechten) between Jewish families in Paramaribo, Suriname. In this ethnographic context, the "feud" is understood not only as a moment when alliances are broken, but also as an event where new alliances arise, since individuals have to "choose sides" (partij kiezen/deel te nemen). Non-actualized kinship relations thus appear, as people become relatives (relatief), while other relations lose their intensity, rendering people apart and changing the terms they use to refer to each other. The "feuds" bring up local distinctions between "biological" and "social": some individuals, by choosing not to take part in these disputes or choosing a different "side", become merely "blood" (bloed) or "name" (naam) relatives. The focus is therefore on the positive dimension of "feuds", which are not only the cause of a "rupture", but active producers of new relations and obligations.
Family; Caribbean; Suriname; Judaism; Relatedness