An Urban/Modern Version of Tribe: "The Kalenderi/Hiyyi Association"

Abstract

This article focuses on an "existing tribe", which is regarded as a pre-modern social organization representing rural society, in order to reorganize/transform itself as a civil society organization, which is seen as the "ideal" organization of modern society and urban life. The efforts and strategies of tribes for reviving and sustaining themselves in urban life are analyzed over the narratives of the "well educated, skilled and urban" members of the Executive Board of "The Kalenderi/Hiyyi Association" (KHA). In big cities, the establishment of associations by the migrants coming from the same ethnic/religious community or the same locale is a common thing. But KHA is not a migrant solidarity association, it is located in its "homeland". A well-educated group of tribesmen put a special emphasis on the preservation of former relations and traditions in modern urban life and establish the KHA. During the research, it is observed that other urban tribesmen from all the world effectively use cyberspace, while responding the call for "unity" from their "relatives". The association regards "all tribe, as a community of broader relatives" and utilizes technology effectively to contact these "broader relatives". This type of organizational behavior brings a unique and effective perspective on the organizational pattern of tribes. The article argues that new forms of tribes such as "cyber tribes" could emerge in future, for instance, tribes ruled by "elected" leaders or tribes reorganized in different modern forms ranging from solidarity associations, pressure groups, corporations or else. In all these "modern" forms, the prerequisite of membership will be "traditional" (being a "member" of "the tribe"). The cyberspace also may give birth to its own leaders and these "cyber leaders" especially in online social platforms may gather new generation tribesmen around themselves and challenge the "traditional leadership".