clingthrough

Clingthrough is a term used in sociology and cultural studies to describe a strategy by which an individual or group preserves a stable sense of identity or continuity of practice during periods of social change by clinging to core beliefs, rituals, or affiliations while outward forms adjust to new circumstances. The term blends cling, to hold tightly, with through, indicating movement through a transition without complete rupture of core identities.

The concept arose in discussions of transitional processes in politics, organizations, and communities. While not widely standardized, clingthrough has been used to analyze how actors navigate upheaval while maintaining continuity of self and tradition rather than making wholesale changes.

Mechanisms include selective memory, ritual repetition, symbolic signaling, and gradual, controlled adaptation that preserves key norms while allowing some external structures to evolve.

Contexts often include political realignments, corporate or public-sector reform, and diaspora or refugee settings. In a hypothetical case, a national party pursuing reform keeps its historic platform language in campaigning while updating leadership and policy specifics. In immigrant communities, language, ceremony, and cultural calendars may be retained even as civic practices and daily routines integrate host-country norms.

Critics argue that clingthrough can slow modernization or mask underlying tensions, while supporters see it as a stabilizing strategy that reduces disruption and preserves social cohesion. See also continuity theory, identity preservation, cognitive dissonance.