PDP2- Using "Tribe" and Tribalism": to Misunderstand African Societies
Author Bio: David S. Wiley is a sociology professor at the Michigan State University. Wiley is not only a renowned professor and founder of the African Studies Program, but he has also experienced life in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, and South Africa first hand as he conducted research. He is well-versed in his study and was, in fact, the Vice-Chairperson of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. His studies include many issues such as environmental concerns in Africa and international education.
Date/Context: This article was written quite recently, during a time in which newspapers and magazines flooded with the news of environmental conservation from the Maasai "Tribe" and humanitarian acts throughout many African "tribes." The origin of the world "tribe" comes from the 19th century which calls into question why, in 2013, newspapers and magazines continued to use the word "tribe" with the knowledge of its connotation and origin.
Summary: The piece "Using 'Tribe' and 'Tribalism': to Misunderstand African Societies" argues the use of the word "tribe" in the news, novels, and even politically. The word tribe comes from the 19th century when many Europeans created racist theories about anyone not of European descent. Although the term is centuries old, it continues to be used to describe a variety of ethnic groups across Africa. David Wiley argues that the term has been used so frequently to describe such diverse ethnic groups that it has lost it's meaning entirely. Wiley also states that the use of the word tribe creates a downfall for many African societies as they are then perceived as helpless, poor, or uncivilized which, in turn, causes a struggle in the gaining of political power. The example of the Menominee Tribe is used to illustrate the overuse of the word in describing people groups who have melded into today's society and should not be under the "tribal" stereotype and implications. Overall, Wiley describes how the word tribe should not be used to describe societies.
Key Quotation: "Morton H. Fried and this author contend that 'the term [tribe] is so ambiguous and confusing that it should be abandoned by social scientists.'"
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ReplyDeleteBased on my reading of the document and your post, it is clear that you have an exceptionally accurate and detailed post, that mostly includes all of the important and necessary information relating to the use of the word tribe. Your understanding of how the word tribe has lost is evident, but I feel like more description on the word tribe and its use by the Rhodesians and South Africans, which has its own paragraph in your document, would have made your post better. What I mean by this is that you did a great job at reading between the lines, but did not adequately describe the basic facts. I feel like a better key quotation would have been the phrase, "It is no accident that the contemporary uses of the term tribe were developed during the 19th-century rise of evolutionary and racist theories to designate alien non-white peoples as inferior or less civilized and as having not yet evolved from a simpler, primal state,", as I feel that this does a better job at encapsulating the ideas of the document. You did a good job on the author bio, but more specific information on the context of the document would have made my preferred key quotation more meaningful.
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