Modern Tribalism and Community Organizing Lyrics

What is Tribalism?

Cova & Cova (2001) define a tribe as “a network of heterogeneous persons, in terms of age, sex, income, etc., who are interlinked by a shared passion or Emotion."

Modern Tribalism is an ancient phenomenon with a twist, and has reemerged on a large scale since the rise of social technologies. It is a natural process of human organization that - for a number of reasons - is instilled in all of us. If we think of human behavior occurring within a "social marketplace", these tribes allow much greater freedom of movement within and among them than any other form of human organization, e.g. State institutions, economic class, sub-cultures, etc. According to Meir & Scott (2008), "tribes are becoming more visible and their efforts are seen in the way people behave collectively and produce social forces outside modern structures”. Armstrong (1998) also suggests that tribes are not about satisfaction but rather “display, style, experiences of emotion, and creating community”. They arise out of an essential human need for social living.

Tribal Characteristics

According to Cova & Cova (2001) the fundamental purpose of tribes revolves around their community of emotion or passion. Meir (2008) also points out that tribes congregate around non-rational and archaic elements such as locality, kinship (e.g. community), emotion and passion, rather than “around something rational and modern” like a project or professional occupation. In essence, the classic case of mob mentality is actually little more than misguided tribalism

There are also serious implications as far as consumption patterns. Meir (2008) wrote that:

Tribes may also have particular patterns of consumption (the purchase of ‘in’ brands and products) that if not adhered to may jeopardize individual membership of the group. As a result, consumption behavior becomes the vehicle by which individual identity is expressed. It defines group membership (Costa, 1995). In fact, Costa (1995) suggests that members of a group based simply on common interest “may even require specific consumption behavior in order to join or maintain membership in the group” (p.223-4)

Maffesoli (1996) offers up the description of tribes as a collective form of identity which is based on sentiment rather than rationality. In other words, these tribes are - by nature - unstable, small-scale, highly emotional and not held within any established boundaries of modern society; instead they can be held together by shared emotions, styles of life, new moral beliefs and consumption practices. He also makes the distinction between modern tribes and those of ancient times, in that “the neo-tribal [instinct] is the product of individuals promoting self-identity and self-definition, and results in gatherings with little cohesion, structure, obligations, or rites of passage”

As I'll point out in the examples below, this can sometimes have tragic effects. While tribal behaviors come naturally to us all, the institutional leadership and practices that once formed cohesive and purposeful tribes are not as natural. For one, modern institutions simply do not work when it comes to focusing tribal energy. Cova & Cova (2002) suggest that postmodern tribes “constitute a collective actor that represents a counterpart to institutional power” (p.597)

This is where the really important stuff comes in, as Cova & Cova stress that tribes maintain coherence through the “symbolically and ritually manifested commitment of their members” (p.598). They also suggest that tribes are constantly in a state of flux, brought together only by the symbolic ritual of the members “persisting no longer than the power of attraction of these rituals and of their cult-objects”

There is a significant amount of overlap here between tribes and "sub-cultures". The easiest way to think of this probably in terms of Hip Hop, which constitutes a sub-culture, in social, political, and economic opposition to mainstream culture. In that sense, we could look at a social group like NWA as a distinct tribe. Green (2001) defines subcultures as segments of society that embrace particular cultural elements of their own such as “a shared set of identifiable beliefs, values, and means of symbolic expression”

Key points:

1. Tribes organize based on emotional purpose, i.e. passion, shared values, and sense of community. In extremely complex and turbulent times (e.g. the genesis of language, rapid proliferation of the consumer IT) humans seek the comfort of tribes in order to identify themselves with values they deem to be attractive
2. Modern tribes are inherently unstable, and will not submit to modern forms of institutional power by any means
3. Due to the social mobility provided by modern lanes of organization and platforms of communication, contemporary tribes have a tendency to be much more ephemeral if their energy is not focused through tribal customs
4. Tribes will seek out products and services for their social "linking value" rather than their utility. They gravitate towards anything that facilitates their communion, and are extremely protective of these products or services
5. In order to mediate this volatility, the tribe must make use of ritual objects and meaningful rites of passage. These signify the only stable characteristics of a tribe and, to some extent, must be preserved by tribal leaders

Examples of Tribalism

As I mentioned, ritual objects and rites of passage are essential to the viability of tribes. As such, the most clear cut, stable examples of modern tribalism probably exist in sports. Tribal behavior are seen through the participation in sports, as well as sports fandom. Hooliganism is a classic example. In 2011-2012, European football leagues generated $19.4 billion. This is absolutely incredible, and clearly demonstrates the passions that can be focused through tribal behavior. However, many European leagues have historically done a poor job in guiding these passions towards anything beyond sheer consumption. This has resulted in a lot of hooligan violence over the years

Below is an example of how the key points, stated above, relate to sports fandom:

Other modern examples might include:

- Comicon
- "Twitter feminism"
- Iphone users
- Contemporary political unrest



References

Cova, B. & Cova, V. (2001) Tribal aspects of postmodern consumption research: the case of French in-line roller skaters, Journal of Consumer Behaviour 1(1), 67-76
Armstrong, G. (1998) Football hooligans: knowing the score
Berg: Oxford

Maffesoli, M. (1996) The time of the tribes: the decline of individualism in mass society. Sage: London

Meir, R. & Scott, D. (2007) Tribalism: definition, identification and relevance to the marketing of professional sports franchises. International Journal of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship

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Genius Annotation

The history of man can only be described in terms of its ebb & flow – periods of intense creation followed by the ultimate destruction necessary to make space for something new. Our environment changes without much concern for whether or not we are prepared to adapt.

Sometimes, we must come up with a novel approach. Other times, all we have to do is adjust what worked in the past. Either way, it takes groups of people – no matter how small – with a shared passion and strong social bonds to make it work. This is, at its core, what tribal behavior is about.

The following is a brief, and rather incomplete, review of some of the literature on tribal behavior. With the proliferation of social technology, it’s becoming increasingly clear that tribes are beginning to self-organize once again. What’s not so clear, is what affect that may have on the course of our history.

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