Beyond Tribalism


Book Description

In the past, neo-tribalism in a Western context has been feared as leading to blindness or irrationality. In today's business world, tribalism represents a conscious separation of the individual ego for the good of the community. This is the key to understanding the success of the most innovative businesses in the 21st century.




Our Beleaguered Species


Book Description

Can anthropology contribute to understanding today's world? How can knowledge about our origins as upright apes help our species solve its current challenges? Are there grounds for hope for ourselves and Planet Earth? As Homo sapiens, we have the cognitive and emotional capacity to understand our limitations and strengths. Can we tap into our strengths to find pathways ahead for our beleaguered species? A better question: Will we do so? In Our Beleaguered Species: Beyond Tribalism, Dr. Zelman explores how we became tribalistic when our ancestors were defenseless social primates living in small scattered groups, and how our very different interconnected world of today calls for using our other gifts from evolution. These include adaptability, creativity, symbolic language, and concern for the well-being and fair treatment of those outside our particular circles. To build a viable future for ourselves and other living things, we must nurture and treasure this portion of our evolutionary legacy. As members of a social species with the ability to deceive and harm as well as love our neighbors, we have the means to create havoc or harmony. Over the years, using our culture-language complex, we have done both. Tribalism in its several guises (racism, religious sectarianism, sexism, and more) is a major obstacle to furthering human well-being and reducing destruction of lives and resources that comprise the web of life on our shared planet. Today, having transformed the world of our ancestors, the challenges we face require using our diversity to build a balanced, global approach. We must move beyond tribalism. The author outlines prescriptions for such an endeavor, using a broad anthropological perspective and drawing from studies of the brain and behavior, environment, economic and political institutions, institutionalized inequalities, and the humanities. In her final chapter, she describes some ways we might regain a sense of our place in nature, not above it, and construct a sense of meaning from this understanding.




Beyond Civilization


Book Description

In Beyond Civilization, Daniel Quinn thinks the unthinkable. We all know there's no one right way to build a bicycle, no one right way to design an automobile, no one right way to make a pair of shoes, but we're convinced that there must be only one right way to live -- and the one we have is it, no matter what. Beyond Civilization makes practical sense of the vision of Daniel Quinn's best-selling novel Ishmael. Examining ancient civilizations such as the Maya and the Olmec, as well as modern-day microcosms of alternative living like circus societies, Quinn guides us on a quest for a new model for society, one that is forward-thinking and encourages diversity instead of suppressing it. Beyond Civilization is not about a "New World Order" but a "New Personal World Order" that would allow people to assert control over their own destiny and grant them the freedom to create their own way of life right now -- not in some distant utopian future.




Vexed


Book Description

Across the democratic West, politics has become deeply polarised and profoundly personal. Challenge someone's political views and increasingly you challenge their very being. And yet, do our political tribes even make sense? Look carefully, and on the most important ethical issues of the age – assisted dying, social welfare, sexual liberation, abortion, gun control, the environment, technology, justice – the instinctive positions of both the Left and the Right are riven with contradictions. In this refreshing and eye-opening book, James Mumford, a public thinker and independent commentator, questions the basic assumptions of our political groups. His challenge is simple: 'Why should believing strongly about one topic mean the automatic adoption of so many others?' Vexed is an essential and provocative account that will appeal to anyone of independent thought, and a welcome call for new reflection on the moral issues most relevant to our modern way of life.




Corporate Tribalism


Book Description

The 2008 elections shattered historical precedents and pushed race and gender back to the forefront of our national consciousness. The wide range of reactions to the efforts of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin dramatically reflected ongoing conflicts over diversity in our society, especially in the venue where people are most likely to encounter them: work. As more and more people who aren’t white men enter corporate America, we urgently need to learn how to avoid clashes over these issues and how to resolve them when they do occur. Thomas Kochman and Jean Mavrelis have been helping corporations successfully do that for over twenty years. Their diversity training and consulting firm has helped managers and employees at numerous companies recognize and overcome the cultural bases of miscommunication between ethnic groups and across gender lines—and in Corporate Tribalism they seek to share their expertise with the world. In the first half of the book, Kochman addresses white men, explicating the ways that their cultural background can motivate their behavior, work style, and perspective on others. Then Mavrelis turns to white women, focusing on the particular problems they face, including conflicts with men, other women, and themselves. Together they emphasize the need for a multicultural—rather than homogenizing—approach and offer constructive ideas for turning the workplace into a more interactive community for everyone who works there. Written with the wisdom and clarity gained from two decades of hands-on work, Corporate Tribalism will be an invaluable resource as we look toward a future beyond the glass ceiling.




Beyond Tribal


Book Description

Like most immigrants, Anne Carr and her husband, Geoffrey, adjusted their world view when they emigrated from Britain to Canada in the 1960s. The differences they found in their new country took them out of their comfort zone and made them question prior assumptions about the way to live. The experience also made them wonder if they belonged to any one place. Beyond Tribal explores how identifying ourselves as part of a group can give us a much-needed sense of belonging, yet it can also create walls that result in judgement towards others who are not like us. As well as discussing nationality, the author describes how factors as varied as class, media, the arts, landscape, and gender, may provide us with a sense of unity or separateness. Part memoir, part thoughtful and evocative essays, this book is for anyone concerned about the future of our small planet and whether globalization and diversity will win the day over tribalism and nationalism....




Moral Tribes


Book Description

“Surprising and remarkable…Toggling between big ideas, technical details, and his personal intellectual journey, Greene writes a thesis suitable to both airplane reading and PhD seminars.”—The Boston Globe Our brains were designed for tribal life, for getting along with a select group of others (Us) and for fighting off everyone else (Them). But modern times have forced the world’s tribes into a shared space, resulting in epic clashes of values along with unprecedented opportunities. As the world shrinks, the moral lines that divide us become more salient and more puzzling. We fight over everything from tax codes to gay marriage to global warming, and we wonder where, if at all, we can find our common ground. A grand synthesis of neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, Moral Tribes reveals the underlying causes of modern conflict and lights the way forward. Greene compares the human brain to a dual-mode camera, with point-and-shoot automatic settings (“portrait,” “landscape”) as well as a manual mode. Our point-and-shoot settings are our emotions—efficient, automated programs honed by evolution, culture, and personal experience. The brain’s manual mode is its capacity for deliberate reasoning, which makes our thinking flexible. Point-and-shoot emotions make us social animals, turning Me into Us. But they also make us tribal animals, turning Us against Them. Our tribal emotions make us fight—sometimes with bombs, sometimes with words—often with life-and-death stakes. A major achievement from a rising star in a new scientific field, Moral Tribes will refashion your deepest beliefs about how moral thinking works and how it can work better.




Berbers and Others


Book Description

Berbers and Others offers fresh perspectives on new forms of social and political activism in today's Maghrib. In recent years, the Amazigh (Berber) movement has become a focus of widespread political, social, and cultural attention in North Africa, Europe, and the United States. Berber groups have peacefully yet persistently laid claim to ownership over broad areas of creativity in the arts, politics, literature, education, and national memory. The contributors to this volume present some of the best new thinking in the emerging field of Berber studies, offering insight into historical antecedents, language usage, land rights, household economies, artistic production, and human rights. The scope, depth, and multidisciplinary approach will engage specialists on the Maghrib as well as students of ethnicity, social and political change, and cultural innovation.




Made to Belong


Book Description

Where do I belong? Since our earliest days, humans have sat around tribal fires and told stories about where we came from, where we are going, and how we belong. We want to have the answers to those big questions of life and share them with others. This desire is deeply built into us and the glow of that tribal fire is still enticing. We long to find our tribe and to fit in with others like us. So, even when we scratch the itch of tribalism, why do we burn for something else? By looking at creation, families, church, and the hope of heaven, Andy Percey shows us that we were never made to just fit in; God created us to belong to him and each other in the truest and deepest way possible. If you are asking these questions around the fire, this book is your invitation into relationship, partnership, companionship and belonging. Content Benefits: What does it mean for us to be a people who are made to belong, rather than simply fit in? This book brings insight and pastoral guidance to help you answer this question and help create new connections with each other and God. Looks at the growing trend in society to find your tribe Gets to the heart of the rising tide of loneliness and social exclusion felt today Examines why tribalism does not satisfy our deepest longing to belong Provides a framework to belong, based on the idea that God created us to be in relationship with Him Perfect for anyone who is searching to belong or to find true connection with God and others Ideal for pastors, leaders and pastoral teams, and anyone who is wanting to stem the tide of loneliness in their community Readers will learn how to connect with God, with each other, and create spaces and churches that welcome others Critiques the idea of tribalism from a Christian perspective Binding - Paperback Pages - 176 Publisher - Authentic Media 'With loneliness and isolation at epidemic levels, this book helps us to grapple with God's best for us - we are indeed 'made to belong'. I believe these pages will recalibrate your heart, and give opportunity for self-reflection, theological understanding and practical action. Andy powerfully reminds us all that we are part of God's divine relationship restoration plan. Highly recommended.' Cathy Madavan, speaker, broadcaster and author 'Drawing on his own upbringing, family life and biblical examples, Andy colours an attractive picture of God's desires for us, recognising that the constraints of language can't always adequately express the vastness of the majesty and immeasurable love of God: "Like pouring a pint of water into a half-pint glass, there will always be more than we could possibly ever hold." Exactly. Nevertheless, he gently points the way for us to enjoy multiple aspects of belonging, prompting us to remember that "belonging is rooted in the very heart of God himself, who is calling us, wooing us, reaching for us in every single moment." It's a timely reminder.' Jenny Sanders, International speaker, prophetic teacher and author




Tribal


Book Description

A revelatory, paradigm-shifting work from a renowned Columbia professor and “one of the great social and cultural psychologists” (Amy Cuddy) that demystifies our tribal instincts and shows us how to use them to create positive change. Tribalism is our most misunderstood buzzword. We’ve all heard pundits bemoan its rise, and it’s been blamed for everything from political polarization to workplace discrimination. But as acclaimed cultural psychologist and Columbia professor Michael Morris argues, our tribal instincts are humanity’s secret weapon. Ours is the only species that lives in tribes: groups glued together by their distinctive cultures that can grow to a scale far beyond clans and bands. Morris argues that our psychology is wired by evolution in three distinctive ways. First, the peer instinct to conform to what most people do. Second, the hero instinct to give to the group and emulate the most respected. And third, the ancestor instinct to follow the ways of prior generations. These tribal instincts enable us to share knowledge and goals and work as a team to transmit the accumulated pool of cultural knowledge onward to the next generation. Countries, churches, political parties, and companies are tribes, and tribal instincts explain our loyalties to them and the hidden ways that they affect our thoughts, actions, and identities. Rather than deriding tribal impulses for their irrationality, we can recognize them as powerful levers that elevate performance, heal rifts, and set off shockwaves of cultural change. Weaving together deep research, current and historical events, and stories from business and politics, Morris cuts across conventional wisdom to completely reframe how we think about our tribes. Bracing and hopeful, Tribal unlocks the deepest secrets of our psychology and gives us the tools to manage our misunderstood superpower.