The Process of Collective Identity

Abstract

Presents a processual approach to collective identity that emphasizes the process through which an action system is constructed. On this view, collective identity involves cognitive definitions concerning: the ends, means, & field of action; a network of active relationships between actors; & a degree of emotional investment that allows individuals to feel part of a larger collective whole. It is argued that this understanding of collective identity opens a field view of collective action that situates these processes in the social field in which they are conducted. Further, it is asserted that this view of collective identity contributes to an understanding of collective action in highly differentiated cultural systems & helps scholars move past a global & metaphysical conception of collective actors as heroes or villains. Specific research methods appropriate for analyzing collective identity through this prism are discussed & illustrated in a brief review of literature tracking the formation of collective identity in the women's movement of the 1970s. Finally, it is contended that studying collective identity in this fashion means closing the distance between observer & observed to recognize that researchers are also participating in the uncertain construction of this process. D. M. Smith