Change and adaption in Sub-Saharan Africa 1880-2000. What are the shortcomings of the concept of tribe when describing the realities of African traditions?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 2 essays on 1900-1919 that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

HIST2051:The making of modern Africa: Change and adaption in Sub-Saharan Africa 1880-2000

Dr Berny Sèbe

What are the shortcomings of the concept of 'tribe' when describing the realities of African traditions?

Anonymous Code: Z0365335

Word Count: 2004

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word 'tribe' as "A group of persons forming a community and claiming descent from a common ancestor" or "A particular race of recognized ancestry; a family"1. The word has its etymology in pre-Roman history. The word 'tribus' was used to describe three distinct groups of people, supposedly involved in the founding of Rome. When Western colonialists arrived in Africa, they needed a mechanism to describe the social structures they found. The familiarity of the concept and its connotations seemed perfectly apt for the situation they encountered in Africa. The term was a product of their Classical education, part of their mental furniture, and it was in this way that the term 'tribe' came to be used to describe the people they found in Africa. They deemed 'tribes' to be equally primitive and so in need of 'civilisation'. 'Tribe' could also be used as an administrative tool as a method of cultural imperialism