Tribal Stigma

Tribal stigma is a term coined by Erving Goffman, one of the most influential sociologists of the 20th century, to indicate types of stigma that are attached to the group rather than to the individual; this kind of stigma is also called a collective stigma. As Goffman used the term, tribal stigma refers to membership in devalued races, ethnicities, or religions. Lineage is a necessary element in tribal stigma as Goffman originally explained the term. By this, he meant that tribal stigma was a condition believed to be transmitted genetically by the stigmatized as well as the stigmatizer.

Goffman wrote about tribal stigma in the 1960s. Among the examples he used were being Jewish, Roman Catholic, or African American. Tribal stigmas are still a topic of interest, of course, and select tribal stigmas constitute their own area of study and research at universities, like Chicana/o American Studies and Asian American Studies. It is no surprise that the very term Goffman suggested has roots in language that stresses the depth and the permanence of this kind of stigma, while also evoking societal ability to incorporate multiple tribal stigmas.