Andy Bennett

Neo-tribes are ephemeral, fluid and temporally situated groupings of people that are bound by a shared sense of sentiment, belonging, customs, rituals and even language. Maffesoli’s (1996) conceptualisation of the term explores the bonds and groupings that occur despite our increasingly individualistic society, as a result of specific events, projects, political agendas or activities.  Developed within the discipline of sociology, the concept has recently been applied to other contemporary contexts such as tourism, recreation, leisure and consumer culture. We are interested in consolidating existing uses of the concept, and considering ways in which the concept can be applied more broadly.

The proposed book will bring together perspectives drawn from scholars from a range of disciplines who are conducting research into the applications of neo-tribal theory. Our aim is to critically explore the concepts that underpin neo-tribal theory, using an interdisciplinary lens, through a series of theoretically informed and empirically rich chapters.  The collection will be of global appeal and will be uniquely cross-disciplinary in nature.