Urban Ideologies

The traditional concept of "tribe" has changed. Ancient tribes consisted of a number of families or clans that shared a common ancestry, a rich and varied culture, a vast history and a set ofbeliefs and values called ideologies. These tribes were also socio-political and economic organizations in which each member respected and trusted the tribe leader, who was one of the oldest men or womenand, of course, one of the wisest because of the experience and knowledge gained over the years.
Sociologists, anthropologists, and historians refer to a new concept: urban neo-tribes. These aregroups of young people that have become part of the cityscape. They get together to share common interests such as music, fashion, sports, environmental causes, hobbies, etc. However, as some socialscientists suggest, their ties are not as strong as in the ancient tribes since they are based mainly on empathy and emotional responses. Thus, their ties are temporary and fragmentary. Their members donot always commit to the group and there is no solid, established leadership to follow.
However, this does not mean that they do not share ideological contents because every single social practicein which individuals participate implies a set of rules, values, attitudes, opinions and beliefs. Urban neo-tribes share common ideologies that allow each of their members to create socio-culturalmeanings and to build his/her own judgments to interpret reality. Young people have the opportunity to choose among a wide variety of groups to belong to and to feel identified with. These urbanneo-tribes are characterized by differentiation of lifestyles and ideologies. Let' learn about some of them.
"People call me an Emo because of my haircut, my tight wool sweaters, tight jeans and oldchucks but Emo is a music style derived from hardcore in the early 90s. It is called that because of the emotive lyrics and music. I love listening to A Day in Black and White. Although the lyrics are...