‘Tribe’ falling out of style

 

The use of the word “tribe” to describe groups of people in Africa is being discouraged at some major news organizations, including the world’s largest, the Associated Press. According to Maynard Institute columnist Dick Prince, the AP acknowledges that “the description of a conflict as tribal, rather than ethnic, may carry a pejorative meaning or evoke old stereotypes from the 19th century and early 20th century colonial era.”