verb
- to break up or dissolve the tribal structure or identity of a group; to cause people to abandon tribal customs, allegiances, or social organization
Usage: British spelling (detribalises); American spelling is detribalizes; third-person singular present tense; often used in historical or anthropological contexts
Examples
- Colonial policies detribalises indigenous populations by forcing them into urban centers.
- The government's education program detribalises young people by teaching them national rather than local identities.
- Urbanization gradually detribalises communities as traditional structures weaken.
- The anthropologist argued that modernization detribalises societies in unpredictable ways.
- Economic integration detribalises pastoral groups by drawing them into market economies.