Just as birds of a feather flock together, so, too, do people like to gather together to create cohesive collectives. In that vein, let’s take a look at some of the many kinds of clusters that have evolved over the centuries and explore the formation and foundation of these group dynamics.
Names of groups
One of the earliest types of groupings was tribes. In anthropological terms, a tribe is a form of social organization based on a set of smaller groups, known as bands, that have temporary or permanent political integration and are defined by traditions of common descent, language, culture, and ideology. The term originated in ancient Rome, where the word tribus denoted a division within the state.
In biblical terms, we are well familiar with the 12 tribes of the Jewish people. Much later, North America abounded with Native American tribes, such as the Apache, Hopi, Comanche, Sioux, Iroquois, Cherokee, Chippewa, Navajo, Cheyenne, and Shoshone. To date, the US government recognizes 574 American Indian tribes and Alaska Native entities.
In Scotland, the clan was a kinship group formed among the Scottish people. Clans rendered a sense of shared heritage and descent to its members. The term “clan” is derived from the Scottish Gaelic word clann, which means “children,” or more broadly, “kindred.” In modern times, Scottish clans have an official structure recognized by the Court of Lord Lyon, which regulates Scottish heraldry and coats of arms.
Depending on the circumstances, a group of otherwise unconnected people can gather together for a common purpose. For example, in the Wild West, posses were formed to chase down wanted criminals. The classic image of a posse is a group of intrepid armed cowboys on horseback, rounded up by the sheriff, galloping off in pursuit of an outlaw. Originally, the term was posse comitatus, a Latin phrase that means “the force of the country.”
Those were the “good guys.” In regard to the “bad guys,” two nefarious groups spring to mind.
The Vandals were a Germanic people who migrated across Europe during the late Classical period. During their migrations, the Vandals became infamous for their sacking of Rome in 455 CE. The raid was triggered by the assassination of Roman emperor Valentinian III, who had pledged his daughter Eudocia in marriage to the son of the Vandal king Genseric as part of a peace treaty. Claiming the deal was invalidated by the emperor’s death, Genseric invaded Italy and marched on Rome. The Vandals looted Rome for two weeks, causing widespread destruction to the city, stripping it of most of its valuables. Renaissance writers characterized the Vandals as prototypical barbarians. This led to the use of the term “vandalism” to describe any pointless destruction, particularly the defacing of artwork.
Starting in the 1300s, Thuggee was the name given to organized cults of robbers and murderers who traveled in groups across the Indian subcontinent. The Thuggee reportedly operated as gangs of highwaymen who tricked and murdered their victims. To take advantage of their victims, the thugs would join travelers and gain their confidence. One of the Thuggee would befriend their potential targets and accompany them for a while to assess their potential wealth. When one thug managed to distract their victims by engaging them in conversation, the other members would strangle them swiftly from behind. In Hindi, the word thuggee means “swindler” or “deceiver.”
Moving forward into the more modern realm, society has been segmented into classes. A social class is defined as a grouping of people into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class, the middle class, and the upper class. Membership of a social class can be dependent on education, wealth, occupation, income, and belonging to a particular subculture or social network.
The term “hoi polloi” refers to the masses, or the common people. It is derived from the Greek phrase which means “the many.”
On a much higher plane, so to speak, is the “jet set.” The jet set is described as a social group of wealthy, fashionable people who travel the world to participate in social activities unavailable to ordinary people. Introduced in 1949, the term reflected a style of life involving traveling from one stylish or exotic place to another via jet plane. The term “jet set” is attributed to Igor Cassini, a reporter for the New York Journal-American who wrote a gossip column under the pen name Cholly Knickerbocker. He was the younger brother of fashion designer Oleg Cassini. Over time, with the democratization of air travel, the term “jet set” was replaced with “glitterati,” reflecting a greater emphasis on celebrity and less on mode of travel.
Unless you’re flying around in the corporate jet, that is – in which case the term may well still apply. When it comes to commerce, there are many rungs on the corporate ladder.
A company is a legal entity formed by one or more individuals to engage in and operate a business. A company may be organized in various ways for tax and financial liability purposes, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction where it is formed.
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations, or governments that aims to participate in a common activity or pool their resources to achieve a common goal.
A corporation is a legal entity created by individuals, stockholders, or shareholders to operate for profit. Corporations are allowed to enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own assets, remit federal and state taxes, and borrow money from financial institutions.
On a broader scale, a conglomerate is the combination of two or more business entities engaged in either entirely different or similar businesses that fall under one corporate group, usually involving a parent company and many subsidiaries. A conglomerate is generally a multi-industry company and is often large and multinational. The root of the word “conglomerate” is glomus, the Latin word for “ball.” The connotation is that a conglomerate is a group of different things balled together. Before the word came to describe giant corporations, a conglomerate denoted a rock formed from different kinds of minerals.
A cartel is a formal agreement between a group of producers of a good or service to control supply or to regulate or manipulate prices. Cartels often fix prices, define trading terms, and allocate trade or market share rules to achieve economies of scale. One such example is OPEC. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is a cartel enabling the cooperation of leading oil-producing and oil-dependent countries to collectively influence the global oil market and maximize profit. OPEC was founded in 1960 in Baghdad; the first five members were Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela. Currently, the cartel comprises 12 member countries.
Shifting from business to pleasure, there are many spheres within the social circle. For example, a coterie is a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people. In medieval France, “coterie” referred to a group of feudal peasants who together held a parcel of land. The word “coterie” comes from the Old French word cotier, which meant “peasant.”
Similarly, a clique is a small group of people with shared interests or other features in common who spend time together and do not readily allow others to join them.
On a more inclusive level, a club is an organization of people with a common purpose or interest who meet regularly and participate in shared activities.
In the same vein, a bee is a community social gathering in order to perform some task, engage in a contest, etc., such as a quilting bee, a sewing bee, or a spelling bee. The word “bee” was used in colonial America to refer to different forms of communal work that benefited a neighbor; for example, a logging bee to fell wood or a husking bee to strip maize. The origin of “bee” comes from dialectal been or bean, meaning “help given by neighbors.”
Thus ends this little foray into the form and function of groups and the terminology that applies to them. If you find it interesting to delve into the derivation of words and expressions that have evolved into our vernacular, join the club.■