Tribalism is dangerous, sometimes deadly, as has been shown in the Christchurch massacre. Claiming superiority as a member of a distinct group, in this case as a ‘white supremacist’, is irrational and inhumane. There have been subdivisions of Homo sapiens since we evolved from our hominin predecessors, resulting from isolation in various parts of the world, and the effects of different climates. On occasions the physical  differences between tribes have occasioned violence, but in the main, we have tolerated each other and existed peacefully. Humans have even interbred with other species – our genes include contributions from Neanderthals and Denisovans.  However, the rise of nationalism during historical times has served to identify difference and create prejudice, leading to catastrophic wars and much human misery.

Luckily, most human interactions over time have been non-threatening and respectful – essential qualities for the stability of towns and for trade. The latter brought together people with many different origins and inevitably there was interbreeding. As I have pointed out before, the ‘British’, and in fact all Europeans, are what we would call ‘cross-breds’ when applied to domestic animals. Genetic analysis reveals ancestors who came from many earlier tribes: Phoenecians, Picts, Celts, Romans, Vikings, Berbers, Persians, etc. Unlike farmers, and the breeders of dogs and horses, there has been no deliberate attempt to produce highly specialised and distinctive humans – in contradiction to the beliefs of white supremacists, we are all mongrels!

Recent movements and events throughout the world: Brexit, Trump’s Mexican wall, white nationalism, and the persecution of minorities, for example, create problems by preferencing particular groups of humans and devaluing others, leading to conflict, and the abuse and displacement of whole populations. Multiculturalism is successful because it mixes people of diverse origins, who come with a wide variety of ideas, and keen to contribute to their communities. Attempts to divide, differentiate and evaluate the various tribes are destructive and unproductive. In someone else’s words: Instead of looking for the differences between groups of people we should acknowledge and celebrate their similarities. After all, we are still only one species.