Kradin N. N. Conception of “tribe” in the modern anthropology

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Conception of «tribe» in the modern anthropology

Authors Kradin, Nikolay Nikolaevich — Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology, Far-Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok, Russia, Professor, Doctor of Historical Science, 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 4-12
Type of article RAR Index UDK 930.85 Index BBK 63.5
Abstract The term tribe is the most controversial concept in modern anthropology, ethnology, sociology and history. Many modern researchers believe that this concept is generated by the colonial era and is a «colonial myth» or a «historiographical phantom», and on this basis it has to be rejected in the modern research practice. This article shows how the notion of tribe (and the attitudes to it) had been configured and was changing over time. It is stated that the term and the concept behind it the tribe has not lost its relevance, heuristic, and its use is extremely important for anthropologists to maintain their own professional self-identity. The concept of tribe is complementary to the key concept of political anthropology ― chiefdom.
Keywords tribe, chiefdom, political and social anthropology
Full text version of the article. Article language Russian
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Tags: tribe, chiefdom, political anthropology, social anthropology

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