Against Fairness by Asma Stephen T

Author:Asma, Stephen T. [Asma, Stephen T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2012-10-31T20:00:00+00:00

Disentangling Tribalism and Tragedy

In the West, one often finds a facile equation of tribalism and violence. Some versions of liberalism seek to eliminate all tribal tendencies, arguing that tribalism separates rather than unifies us. Violence in the Middle East and Africa, for example, is often chalked up to an inevitable consequence of tribal societies. Adding to this general viewpoint is the common assumption that tribalism is an evolutionary fossil—a form of social organization that helped us on the Pleistocene plains of Africa but lingers now like a vestigial organ. Tribalism, it is often assumed, is the outmoded “appendix” or “wisdom tooth” of the social organism. I agree with the claims of when and why tribalism first evolved, but I do not share the condescension about its contemporary value.

General skepticism about tribalism has become almost dogmatic. It oversimplifies the real causes of violence and social unrest, shedding little light on unique sociohistorical complexities. It also pretends at moral superiority, all the while denying our own tribal affiliations.

Still, there is indeed a bloody catalog of horror stories that seem instigated, or at least fueled, by tribal differences. Mongols, Native Americans, Aztecs, Catholics, Protestants, Crusaders, Amazonian Yanomami, and New Zealand Maori—just to name a few—all seemed fueled by what Freud called the “narcissism of minor differences.” One of the most horrific tribal slaughters in recent memory occurred in Rwanda, between the Tutsi and the Hutu. But was tribalism per se to blame, or was tribalism simply one of the avenues of aggression and exploitation?

I spent time in Rwanda in 2010 and was astounded (as I had been in Cambodia) by the resilience, dignity, and genuine warmth of the people. It is humbling when you get to know people who have suffered so dramatically. It inspires you to overcome your own relatively minor problems and to appreciate the heroism and grace that emerges spontaneously under such pressure. But make no mistake, Rwanda is still a land of nightmares—terrible dreams and memories, haunting almost everyone you encounter. A visit to the Kigali Memorial Centre will give you a few souvenir nightmares of your own.

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