Rereading 'The Time of the Tribes'

Thirty years after its publication, 'The Time of the Tribes' remains the essential introduction to the main themes in Michel Maffesoli's sociology of postmodernity – themes that are arguably more relevant today than at any point in the three decades since the book first appeared. This essay provides an overview of Maffesoli's argument and some reflections on how it can help us to understand the "neo-tribes" of the 21st century.