THE CONTEMPORARY SIGNIFICANCE OF SCHMALENBACHS CONCEPT OF THE BUND

This paper will look at a form of sociation known as the Bund, concept ualized by Schmalenbach in the 1920's. I shall argue that this long ig nored concept, dealing with affectual form of solidarity in small grou ps, is of considerable relevance to contemporary issues concerning ind ividuality and lifestyle, particularly in relation to debates surround ing their significance in modernity and postmodernity. After looking a t the historical origins of the German word Bund and its usage by vari ous groups from the Bundschuh to the Wandervogel, I shall consider its significance in the sociology of Herman Schmalenbach, particularly in relation to his critiques of Tonnies's Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft dual ism and Weber's typology of social action. A comparison of the Bund wi ll then be made with Victor Turner's concept of communitas and Maffeso li's concept of the neo-tribe. The paper will conclude by looking at s ome contemporary examples of Bund-like sociations using a diverse rang e of examples including: the womens' peace camp at Greenham Common; so ccer crews and Tom Peter's notion of the workplace based 'self-managin g team'. My central argument shall be that an understanding of the Bun d is of use in explaining the significance and dynamics of all manner of elective groups and lifestyles