TRIBALISM

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2009

The use of the term tribalism must be understood against the assumption that citizens of the modern world would develop significant identification only with large groupings which included a plurality of social categories.

Tribalism is used to describe those situations where broad social identification has broken down so that people identify themselves exclusively with a narrower category. For example, people may organize their lives around ethnic identification or sexual preference or religious belief.

This retribalization of the society is thought to lead to fragmentation and divisiveness as people identify with an in-group, making a shared sense of citizenship among larger groupings more and more fragile.

Tribalism, Nationalism, Rank-Equilibration, and Social Structure 
A Theoretical Interpretation of Some Socio-political Processes in Southern Nigeria 
Ulf Himmelstrand, University of Ibadan 1964-1967; presently University of Uppsala, Sweden 
Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 6, No. 2, 81-102 (1969) DOI: 10.1177/002234336900600201 © 1969 International Peace Research Institute, Oslo
Some aspects of Nigerian nationalism - particularly as espoused by the Ibo elite in the struggle for Nigerian independence and immediately after - are here interpreted as an al ternative or supplementary response to the same kinds of structural strains which have gener ated impulses to so-called tribalism. Rank-equilibration theory is utilized to provide the ne cessary causal links. 
Other approaches are also suggested to amount for the emergence of structural strains, and for the political exploitation of tribalist responses to such strains. Further discussed are a number of attendant micro- and macro-circumstances which might explain why rank-equili bration sometimes stimulates tribalism and secessionism, at other times seems to increase the appeals of a broader nationalism. 
Finally, it is maintained that a more durable form of nationalism appears only when based not on individual rank-equilibrating responses, but on the acceptance of common rules within a differentiated and well-balanced system of social exchange such as that hopefully emerging in the new twelve-state federal structure of Nigeria. - jpr.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/6/2/81

Tribalism and Religious Identity in the Work of Richard Wright 
Sylvester Johnson, Assistant Professor of Religion, Religion Department, 406 Tucker Hall, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA, auhuru@aol.com
Literature and Theology 2006 20(2):171-188; doi:10.1093/litthe/fri068
Richard Wright is familiar to many as a literary author whose work portrayed race and adversity in America. Examining a less familiar theme in Wright's work, this article examines Wright's use of the concept of tribalism. It argues that Wright employed this problematic metaphor in his fiction and non-fiction in order to depict American revivalism. Relating this to Wright's ideas about West African culture, this article analyzes the complex problems to which Wright responded and the often contradictory orientations of Wright himself. It concludes that Wright's critique of religious identity and difference is ultimately helpful for ongoing scholarly studies of religion in America. - litthe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/20/2/171

The Political Economy of Tribalism in North America: Neotribal Capitalism? 
Ingo W. Schröder, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany, schroed4@mailer.uni-marburg.de, ingowschroeder@hotmail.com 
Anthropological Theory, Vol. 3, No. 4, 435-456 (2003) DOI: 10.1177/146349960334003 © 2003 SAGE Publications
The article examines Elizabeth Rata’s model of ‘neotribal capitalism’ in the light of ethnographic and historical evidence from Native North America. In her analysis of Maori tribalism, Rata argues for a view of modern tribes as organizations of capitalist accumulation that are legitimized through a ‘neotraditionalist’ ideology that recreate present-day class relations in precolonial terms. Despite some differences in the historical development of tribes, this model proves useful for the analysis of the political economy of US American Indian identity. Since the late 19th century, tribes have been dominated by new economic and bureaucratic elites that control access to tribal revenues. The discourse on ‘tradition’ and ‘cultural preservation’ has become the latest currency of representing tribal social relations to the American state and legitimizing the political status quo before the local population. It is argued that a political-economic approach is particularly well suited for explaining the political processes and economic inequalities in postcolonial indigenous societies. - ant.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/3/4/435

Tribalism, Nationalism, and Pan-Africanism 
William R. Bascom, Berkeley, California 
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 342, No. 1, 21-29 (1962) DOI: 10.1177/000271626234200104 © 1962 American Academy of Political & Social Science
Tribalism, no longer an obstacle to self-govern ment in Africa, is still an obstacle to national unity. In Ghana, national solidarity has been built by eliminating effec tive opposition. In the Congo, tribalism has produced con flict and violence. In Nigeria, a middle course of federation has been pursued. Balkanized by rival European powers in the past, African boundary lines impose artificial divisions on already complex patterns of tribal and subtribal groupings. In some instances, tribal ties have been successfully exploited to develop a sense of national identification. Growing na tionalism, however, may become a future obstacle to broader African identification. The smallness in area and population of many colonial territories increases the urgency of African federation if independent and viable African nations are to emerge and operate in a world context. The basic responsi bility for solving these problems from the past belongs to the Africans themselves, and a solution clearly lies in merging the smaller territories with larger ones. Precedents have already been established. Thus far, Pan-Africanism has produced vigorous and sometimes almost blind stands against colonial ism. For the future, federation can increase the stature of African nations and multiply the effectiveness of work that must be done in economic development, education, communi cations, technical services, social services, and related fields. - ann.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/342/1/21

Nationalism or 'Tribalism': The Evolution of Cape Afrikaner Ethnic Consciousness in the Late Nineteenth Century
Mottie Tamarkin, Department of History Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, 69 978, Tel-Aviv, Israel1Department of History Tel Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, 69 978, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Nations and Nationalism, Volume 1 Issue 2 Page 221 - July 1995 
Abstract: Abstract.This article seeks to explore the evolution of the ethnic consciousness of the Afrikaners in the Cape Colony at an initial and crucial stage. The colonial Cape Afrikaners are treated as a core community, distinguished from Afrikaner communities in other states in South Africa. It is argued that their collective consciousness was shaped primarily by their core colonial experience rather than by their ethnocultural commonality with the other diaspora Afrikaner communities. Having been socialised into the British colonial state, they have evolved a collective consciousness premised on neither ethnic self-determination nor ethnic exclusiveness. Correspondingly, their political outlook incorporated both British imperialism and Cape white multi-culturalism. They were mobilised ethnically to secure their share in the spoils of the British colonial state rather than to attain ethno-nationalist goals. - blackwell-synergy.com

Relating Global Tensions: Modern Tribalism and Postmodern Nationalism 
Author: James P.
Source: Communal/Plural: Journal of Transnational & Cross-Cultural Studies, Volume 9, Number 1, 1 April 2001, pp. 11-31(21)
Abstract: What is the relationship in the contemporary world between the abstract global ‘peace’ of state-initiated violence from above and the embodied violence of persons hacking into others with machetes as they lay on the ground? Can this be explained simply in terms of the difference between the rationalising modern nation-state and resurgent tribalism? This article explores the contradictions associated with peace and violence in a globalising - localising world, both generally and in relation to violence in Rwanda and Bosnia-Kosovo. The article is intended predominantly as a political essay opening up lines of understanding. It argues that the postmodernists’ hopes that postnationalism will offer a way out of the mess is thoroughly misplaced. This is particularly so given that those states that swept militarily into Kosovo from above now project themselves across the globe with the same new enthusiasm for pax postnationalism as the postmodernists themselves. - ingentaconnect.com

Wrestling with Japanese Tribalism Emerging Collaborative Opportunities For India and Japan
Lambert, Bruce Henry (Bruce.Lambert@hhs.se) (European Institute of Japanese Studies)
Abstract: Japanese firms, with their strong technology base and high domestic factor costs, have the potential of teaming with India, with its more basic infrastructure and eight times the population. Japan's poorly-performing excess capital could fuel India's strongly-developing middle class and robust entrepreneurialism. Especially promising are collaborative information technology projects. What stands in the way of a greatly expanded relationship? Much of the blockage stems from Japan's insularism, an impetus here labeled tribalism. A hopeful dimension is that this tribalism can be clearly defined as archaic, recognized as detrimental, and then toned-down. Further points for development include an active campaign to encourage diversity in Japan, teaming up to provide alternatives to investment in neighboring China, and agitating for representation on the UN Security Council. India can help initiate all these processes, and can in turn benefit from a Japan reaching out for regional economic partnerships. - ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/eijswp/0143.html

Tribalism: First Things First 
By Jeff Ballabon 
In today’s world, largely as a result of Judaism-Christianity-Islam-Enlightenment, we tend to overlook the real tectonic plates along which human conflicts erupt: tribes. Tribalism - simple, instinctual, unintellectual, amoral tribalism - is a far more potent force than any of the big unifying universalist ideas to which we generally attribute the great victories and tragedies of civilized humanity. - religion.netscape.com/story/2006/10/30/tribalism-first-things-first/

Jeux De Masques: Postmodern Tribalism 
Michel Maffesoli, Charles R. Foulkes
Design Issues, Vol. 4, No. 1/2, Designing the Immaterial Society (1988), pp. 141-151 doi:10.2307/1511397

Tribalism & Racism among the Ancient Greeks
A Weberian Perspective
By Michael Bakaoukas, Ptychion (Phil.), M.Sc. (Phil.), Doctorate (Phil.)
The University of Piraeus, Greece - anistor.co.hol.gr/english/enback/AGRacism.pdf
Abstract: Were the ancients Greeks “racists” in the modern sense of the term “racist”? The terms ancient Greek “proto-racism”, tribalism (and/or racism) are used here to denote the abstract, narcissistic notion that not only the non-Greek barbarians, but also certain ancient Greek tribes (like the Macedonians, the Boeoteans etc.) should be excluded from the Hellenic community, for they were considered to be inferior compared with the general Hellenic civilization.The present paper analyses comparatively the social phenomena of ancient Greek tribalism and modern racism in order to answer the following question: “what distinguishes the ancient Greek racism from the modern one?”. The basic philosophical and sociological question to be answered, running through the whole paper, is the following: “Could modern scientific, biological racism have evolved in ancient Greece?”. Scholars are right in rejecting such a possibility. 
However, we will see that, following ancient Greek racial thought, the interpretive model of modern racism could successfully be applied to ancient Greece. In other words, we make use of the Weberian “idealtypus” of modern racism. However, one has to cut it loose from the connotations of modern-day racism and analyse ancient Greek racism within the framework of the cultural, religious and political conditions of Antiquity. This is exactly the method that has been followed in the present study, in an effort to present in a critical spirit ancient Greek racial thought.
Introduction
"... I wish all of you now that the wars are coming to an end, to live happily in peace. All mortals from now on shall live like one people, united and peacefully working forwards a common prosperity. You should regard the whole world as your country - a country where the best govern-, with common laws and no racial distinctions. I do not separate people as many narrow minded others do, into Greeks and Barbarians. I’m not interested in the origin or race of citizens. I only distinguish them on the basis of their virtue. For me each good foreigner is a Greek and each bad Greek is a barbarian. If ever there appear differences among you, you must not resolve them by taking to arms; you should resolve them in peace. If need be, I shall act as your negotiator. You must not think of God as an authoritarian ruler, but you should consider him as common father, so that your conduct resembles the uniform behavior of brothers who belong to the same family. 
For my part I consider all -whether they be white or black-, equal, and I would like you to be not only the subjects of my common-wealth, but also participants and partners. Within my powers I shall endeavor to fulfill all my promises. You should regard the oath we have taken tonight as a symbol of love..."
THE “OATH” OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT - SPEECH BY ALEXANDER THE GREAT - AT OPIS (ASSYRIA), IN 324 BC, TO SOME 9,000 DIGNITARIES AND NOBLES OF ALL NATIONS

Relating Global Tensions: Modern Tribalism and Postmodern Nationalism
PAUL JAMES
What is the relationship in the contemporary world between the abstract global `peace’ of state-initiated violence from above and the embodied violence of persons hacking into others with machetes as they lay on the ground? Can this be explained simply in terms of the difference between the rationalising modern nation-state and resurgent tribalism? This article explores the contradictions associated with peace and violence in a globalising± localising world, both generally and in relation to violence in Rwanda and Bosnia-Kosovo. The article is intended predominantly as a political essay opening up lines of understanding. It argues that the postmodernists’ hopes that postnationalism will offer a way out of the mess is thoroughly misplaced. This is particularly so given that those states that swept militarily into Kosovo from above now project themselves across the globe with the same new enthusiasm for pax postnationalism as the postmodernists themselves. - globalism.rmit.edu.au/publications/RelatingGlobalTensions.pdf - Communal/Plural, Vol. 9, No. 1, 2001

After postmodernism : Reactionary tribalism (Après le post-modernisme : Le tribalisme réactionnaire)
ANTONIO Robert J. University of Kansas, ETATS-UNIS
American journal of sociology (Am. j. sociol.) ISSN 0002-9602 2000, vol. 106, no1, pp. 40-87 (8 p.1/4)
Résumé / Abstract
Revived Weimar-era radical conservatism and fresh New Right and paleoconservative theories offer a radical cultural critique of global capitalism and liberal democracy. Expressing a broader retribalization and perceived failure of modernization, their defense of communal particularity attacks the multicultural nation-state, liberal rights, and universal citizenship. This essay links reactionary tribalism to a recurrent 20th-century theoretical tendency, the total critique of modernity-a fusion of oversimplified Nietzschean and Weberian ideas. Historically, total critique has promoted convergence between right and left, such as the current overlapping facets of radical conservatism and strong-program postmodernism. Total critique counters the historicist method of internal critique and the communication model characteristic of reflexive social theory. The discussion uncovers the mediating role of social theory in the problematic relationship of science and partially disenchanted public spheres in plural, democratic cultures

Modern Tribalism and Postmodern Nationalism