Abstract
Abstract: The lið, a retinue of warriors sworn to a leader, has long been considered one of the basic armed groups of the Viking Age. However, in recent years the study of lið has been eclipsed by the discussion of larger Viking armies. In this paper, we focus on the key question of how loyalty to the lið was achieved. We argue that two processes that have been intensively studied by psychologists and anthropologists – ingroup identification and identity fusion – would have been important in the formation and operation of lið. In support of this hypothesis, we outline archaeological, historical and literary evidence pertaining to material and psychological identities. The construction of such identities, we contend, would have facilitated the formation of cohesive fighting groups and contributed to their success while operating in the field.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 35-50 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | World Archaeology |
| Volume | 48 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 23 Nov 2015 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2016 |
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Keywords
- group cohesion
- identification
- identity fusion
- ingroup
- lið
- Viking Age
- war band
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Archaeology
- Archaeology
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
Cite this
Ingroup identification, identity fusion and the formation of Viking war bands. / Raffield, Ben; Greenlow, Claire; Price, Neil; Collard, Mark.
In: World Archaeology, Vol. 48, No. 1, 01.01.2016, p. 35-50.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Ingroup identification, identity fusion and the formation of Viking war bands
AU - Raffield, Ben
AU - Greenlow, Claire
AU - Price, Neil
AU - Collard, Mark
N1 - Acknowledgements We would like to thank Melissa McDonald for her insights on ingroup identification, and to Laura Whitehouse for commenting on drafts of this paper. We are also grateful for the feedback and suggestions of two anonymous reviewers. Ben Raffield, Claire Greenlow and Mark Collard are supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada through the Partnership Grant that supports the Cultural Evolution of Religion Research Consortium (895-2011-1009). Mark Collard is also supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund, and Simon Fraser University. Neil Price is supported by the Royal Gustav Adolf Academy, Sweden.
PY - 2016/1/1
Y1 - 2016/1/1
N2 - Abstract: The lið, a retinue of warriors sworn to a leader, has long been considered one of the basic armed groups of the Viking Age. However, in recent years the study of lið has been eclipsed by the discussion of larger Viking armies. In this paper, we focus on the key question of how loyalty to the lið was achieved. We argue that two processes that have been intensively studied by psychologists and anthropologists – ingroup identification and identity fusion – would have been important in the formation and operation of lið. In support of this hypothesis, we outline archaeological, historical and literary evidence pertaining to material and psychological identities. The construction of such identities, we contend, would have facilitated the formation of cohesive fighting groups and contributed to their success while operating in the field.
AB - Abstract: The lið, a retinue of warriors sworn to a leader, has long been considered one of the basic armed groups of the Viking Age. However, in recent years the study of lið has been eclipsed by the discussion of larger Viking armies. In this paper, we focus on the key question of how loyalty to the lið was achieved. We argue that two processes that have been intensively studied by psychologists and anthropologists – ingroup identification and identity fusion – would have been important in the formation and operation of lið. In support of this hypothesis, we outline archaeological, historical and literary evidence pertaining to material and psychological identities. The construction of such identities, we contend, would have facilitated the formation of cohesive fighting groups and contributed to their success while operating in the field.
KW - group cohesion
KW - identification
KW - identity fusion
KW - ingroup
KW - lið
KW - Viking Age
KW - war band
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84959137244&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/00438243.2015.1100548
DO - 10.1080/00438243.2015.1100548
M3 - Article
VL - 48
SP - 35
EP - 50
JO - World Archaeology
JF - World Archaeology
SN - 0043-8243
IS - 1
ER -