Tribal Theory

In his essay, The Temporary Autonomous Zone, anarchist thinker Hakim Bey noted suggested that the fundamental unit of human society is not, and should not be considered to be, the nuclear family. Instead, he stated that the earlier model of the "Band" or "Tribe" is a more natural way of arranging things.

Personally, I think that Hakim Bey had a number of very good, well-thought out ideas. However, associating with him and his ideas comes with a certain amount of moral baggage with which I am not entirely comfortable. There are a number of inconsistencies in his thought which can easily be picked out, leaving something behind which can still be usable, despite the author's status as a nut-bar.

This idea of the importance of the "Tribe" in human culture shows up elsewhere. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s idea of the Karass and Granfalloon in the fictitious religion of Bokononism are a good example, as is the Japanese word "Nakama" (often translated as "friends" or "comrades," though this is a best-fit translation, and it is still not quite accurate.)

In my opinion, the Tribe is an ancillary social structure, not replacing but including the family. Your "social circle," your "clique," your "friends and family" form your tribe. It isn't an artificial thing, but an emergent group identity that comes out of your associations. Take, for example, the Beats--Kerouac, Cassady, Ginsberg, and co.--they associated with one another because they were friends, but developed a new group identity and common purpose over the course of their travels and writing.

Another, more modern example (and one only really understandable to some people in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area) would be KCDIY--a group of like-minded people in the Kansas City area--and this comraderie extends to the families of those involved. I'm certain that everyone has observed something of the sort.

Please note, however, that I'm not referring to corporations or businesses. Though a Tribe can form from people who work together, they are not a priori a Tribe. The reason I would give for this is that a Tribe is an emergent thing that comes out of a group of people; an identity that contains other identities; a shared loyalty to the same unspoken thing.

It is also my opinion that a consciousness of the "tribe" to which you belong is growing ever more important in the modern era. Look at Modernist Poetry and the works of the Lost Generation (examples given) for an analogy. As the world grows (metaphorically) smaller, each of us is forced to realize that we are but one among many, a truth that brings about a sort of nihilating alienation.

My belief is that a tribe can be a bastion for individual identity, taking refuge from the mechanistic forces at work in our society that work to erode us and put us in cubicles.