Group realignment in segmentary societies is ritualized rather than shameful

Evidence

The adjustments can of course occur through dramatic forms of betrayal, but the interesting thing is that treason can also be heavily institutionalized and ritualized. An individual or group wishing to attach itself to a new and larger grouping does so by means of a ritual. This imposes a shame compulsion on the receiving group, which cannot honourably refuse the What the system does require is that people’s membership of groups be very clearly defined and visible at any given time. — Diego Gambetta, Trust - Making and Breaking Cooperative…, 1950

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to governance-by-reputation literatures: switching allegiance through ritual rather than punishment parallels how traders signal new affiliations in extralegal reputation systems.