ABSTRACT
The term “tribe” is one of the most egregious in social science. It has been used in such a variety of manners, some of which are often contradictory, that some anthropologists and social historians have abandoned its usage as either meaningless or perverse. Yet anthropologists still return to this term in at least two senses, which although different are linked. One usage is to employ the tribe as a stage in global political history occupying the second tier in the steps from “bands” to “tribes” to “states.” The second usage situates tribal social organization as a stage in cultural evolution. The linkage between these usages suggests the problems for anthropology and history.
