Recently, I received peer review feedback that criticized my usage of terms like "neo-tribe" and "neo-tribalism" in a sociological paper. The reviewer found these terms potentially offensive to certain cultural groups. I had employed these terms within the theoretical framework of the well-established social theory introduced by Maffesoli, which has been further developed and applied to marketing (Cova & Cova) and utilized successfully to examine online community dynamics on social media with implications for areas like tourism (Hardy) and dietary styles (Bertella).
In my paper, I consistently cited the original authors and recent publications when using these terms. However, the reviewer took issue with the word "tribe," deeming it offensive, and suggested that I either omit these terms or provide justification for their use. While I find this viewpoint unusual, I would like to ask if you could recommend scholarly articles that critically discuss the potential offensive or racist connotations of the neo-tribe theory.
Thank you.
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