Rural society from the 16th to 19th centuries was characterized by a high degree of conflict resolution and ability to deal with conflict. The cultures of dispute appear as central forms of communication in a society that was able to live with an enormous potential for conflict because it had a highly developed capacity for community. Conflicts and areas of conflict also point to central interfaces and ruptures in the rural context of life: they reveal the acceptance of and resistance to village hierarchies. The power of lordship relationships in the village, community and household becomes just as clear as the perceptions and articulations of social inequalities and injustices. The investigation of conflicts offers differentiated access options for understanding divergent systems of norms and concepts of order that guide collective and individual action.