What is tribalism? Analyzing this social phenomenon

Since the beginning of humanity, people have developed around the establishment of groups and societies. The reason is that in human nature there is the need to relate to others whom we consider equal, as well as the need to feel that we belong to a group that loves us.

The perspective of tribalism is based on some of these premises., a concept studied throughout the history of humanity and that, although in current Western cultures it is not so common, there are still traces of tribalism in them.

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What is tribalism?

Tribalism is a concept from the field of anthropology that refers to a cultural phenomenon by which individuals create groups or organizations of a social nature with which to identify and reaffirm itself as part of something bigger.

Due to the fact that it is a cultural phenomenon, tribalism tends to expand, encompassing practically all areas of a person's life, exerting a bidirectional influence. That is, the person tries to leave a trace of his time in the organization and, in turn,

the organization itself exerts an influence on the person.

In some cases, this influence can cover a large number of aspects of the individual's life. Such as changes in behavior patterns, political, religious or moral thought, as well as influence the customs, fashions or way of using language.

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Two related definitions

This concept encompasses two different but closely related definitions. On the one hand, we can understand tribalism as a social system by which humanity is divided into organizations or differentiated groups known under the name of tribes.

To this day, the term tribe is attributed to those groups of people who share a series of common interests, habits, practices, traditions or a common ethnic origin. Throughout the world, there is an infinite number of these groupings, all with distinctive traits and qualities.

The second meaning that includes the term tribalism is that which refers to a strong sense of identity cultural or ethnic. This sensation makes the person define himself and differentiate himself from another member of a different tribe. In addition, it also includes the feelings that the person has towards their own group, as well as the satisfaction or pride of being in it.

It is very important to understand the differences between these two meanings of tribalism since despite the fact that tribal societies hardly are developed in the West, tribalism, understood as the creation of groups of people with common tastes, is fully extended.

tribalism vs. individualism

In contrast to the idea of ​​tribalism we find individualism. These two anthropological perspectives are completely antagonistic, although both seek to understand the person and modern societies.

Unlike tribalism, individualism is committed to the independence and self-sufficiency of each and every one of the people. The followers of this perspective encourage the realization of their own goals, as well as their own desires for in isolation, based solely on personal choices and without any kind of influence or intervention external.

Since it also forms a way of understanding society, individualism is also a way of understanding the whole of society, politics, morality or ideology, establishing the individual as the center of all they.

Their main antagonistic perspectives are tribalism and collectivism., which defend a unit or association of people to achieve common goals. Although it is true that traditionally the human being has been considered a gregarious animal, that is to say, it lives and develops in a community. There is an extensive debate in the world of sociology and anthropology about which position is currently more developed.

While some experts argue that people tend more and more to de-individualize and to group or community life, they also specify that these new forms of tribalism differ greatly of the traditional ones and that are developed with the passage of time and the transformation of the societies.

On the other hand, those who maintain that individualism is currently increasingly widespread in developed countries, argue that people and groups tend to individualize and isolate, as well as a decrease in the feeling of community or the achievement of common objectives.

In this last case, part of the anthropological community believes that the individualistic tendency that we experience is currently in line with the development of narcissistic tendencies that seem to be on the rise today in day.

These narcissistic tendencies that promote individualism They are characterized by presenting the following patterns or elements:

• Abandonment of the feeling of historical continuity and belonging to a global project.
• Dominant tendency to live in the moment and live only for oneself, not for others or for later.
• Propensity for introspection and self-knowledge.

The appearance of urban tribes

The genesis and development of urban tribes is explainable within the theoretical framework that explains tribalism. The most common definition of an urban tribe is one that defines it as groups of people, commonly of adolescent ages, who follow common trends and practices or customs and who become visible through uniformity when dressing or expressing oneself.

The urban tribes are the expression in its maximum exponent of the current tribalism. These groups of people create their own vision and image of the world around them, new ways of interaction with the environment and different ways of expressing oneself not only through language, but also through dress codes, symbols, music, literature or art.

The fact of belonging to an urban tribe gives the person the possibility of building an identity and developing a feeling of belonging to a similar group. In addition, they are used as a means to distance themselves from what is socially established, distance themselves from institutions and generate new societies or communities.