Popov V. A. The concept of «tribe», or ethnicity and potestarity all rolled into one - Studia Slavica Et Balcanica Petropolitana

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Title of the article	The concept of «tribe», or ethnicity and potestarity all rolled into one
Authors	Popov, Vladimir Alexandrovich — St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, Doctor of science, professor, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
In the section	Commentarii / Articles
Year	2015	Issue	2	Pages	13-20
Type of article	RAR	Index UDK		Index BBK
Abstract	The paper is devoted to the different interpretations of the term «tribe». The author concludes that modern science does not give a clear answer to the question, what is a «tribe». In mpdern literature dominates ethnic and social constructivism, extrapolating the past speculative model of the Marxist theory of primitive society. In encyclopaedic and educational literature a «tribe» is declared as primitive ethno-potestarian (ethnosocial) institute combining ethnic community and potestarian organization. The Soviet social tribes are considered as the primary form of ethnic community (as part of the well-known triad «tribe - nation - a nation»). In foreign historiography tribe is defined as the segmental nadobschinnoy political structure. Each segment in it (community, lineage) is economically independent, and leadership is personal and does not involve any formal positions. In evolutionary schemes tribe is usually placed between the primitive community and the chiefdom. The author concludes that the concept of «tribe» is characterized by the loss of the uniqueness of the terminology and the conversion to a phantom. At the same time the modern Russian ethnologist are refused to use of the concept a «tribe» and a term «ethnos» and his derivatives are used, and also «people», not having stadial attachment and not defiant associations with the primitivity. In political anthropology a «tribe» is replaced by «chiefdom» and its analogues. In other words, the concept of «tribe» has lost its former conceptuality. In political anthropology «tribe» («Potestarian tribe)» is replaced by «chiefdom» and its analogues.
Keywords	tribe, ethnicity, potestarity, primitive society, chiefdom, ethnology, political anthropology
	Full text version of the article.			Article language	Russian
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Tags: tribe, ethnicity, potestarity, chiefdom, ethnology, political anthropology, primitive society