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© Kamla-Raj 2003 Stud. Tribes Tribals, 1 (1): 29-34 (2003)
The Tribes Within: The Search for Identity in the Modern State
Brian Milne
The Old Store High Street, Brinkley, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 0SE, UK. E-mail: blmilne@yahoo.com
KeyWords Scots, assimilation; culture; identity; nationalism; modernity.
Abstract This essay raises the question of what a tribe is? It could be seen in the context of a contemporary situation of people who feel they belong together as an expression of shared identity rather than the traditional understanding of people with shared ancestry, culture, beliefs and history. Tribes are, using a modern interpretation, what people want them to be and consist of people who create and maintain a strong enough identify to justify their claim. The starting point is the creation of ‘national’ identity using the people of Scotland as good example. Scotland is divided by historical align-ments, religion, language, east and west, Highland and Lowland and belonging to the tribe-like clans. In fact it is a nation whose present identity has been created over the last two centuries. Other groups suggested include football team supporters, music fans and people who follow particular clothing fashion styles. This essay thus sets out to examine the topic seriously although it is approached in an unashamedly unscientific manner. However, it attempts to also do that in a gently humorous manner that does not dismiss what traditionalists would prefer a tribe to be.
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