Clan Identity

The word clan is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word clan, which means offspring and children. Specifically, the term clan is originally linked with families belonging to the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland. These families established a sense of identity with clan chiefs who controlled their regions. However, the term moved beyond the territory of Scotland and reemerged within tribal groups of other countries. Current notable clans are those of Rwanda and northeastern Kenya and the Navajo in the United States. Clan identity is linked to the culture of a tribal group, nation, or society of people. A culture can be described as having three faces within a society: ethnonationality, comprising the common cultural, linguistic traits and shared history of a nation; religious identity; and clan identity. When it comes to creating strongly interconnected religious, political, and social identities among its members, the most powerful of these three faces is clan identity.

To frame an understanding of clan identity, this entry provides an overview of the significance of clan identity in historical and contemporary terms; details the practices that enable individuals to maintain their clan identity; discusses the challenges that globalization and modernization pose to clan identity; and concludes with a brief reflection on clan identity practices within this historical moment.