Suchergebnisse

Examines how individual/collective identities are linked processually through social movement participation, highlighting the problem of identity correspondence across personal/movement contexts. Dispositional & structural perspectives on the identity/movement nexus are compared, & the value of a constructionist approach is discussed. Processes through which personal & collective identities are aligned in social movements are outlined, focusing on "identity work," "identity convergence," & "identity construction"; this last is further divided into processes of identity amplification, consolidation, extension, & transformation. The relationship between identity processes & other mediating mechanisms is explored, & the trajectory of identity work over the course of a movement from emergence through institutionalization & diffusion is delineated. The affinity between types of social movements & types of identity is also explored. 61 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Documents the increased attention by macrosociologists to the concept of social identity, attributing this to increased global attention to national identity & collective interests. Some definitional issues are addressed, including the construction of "we-groups," notions of "us" vs "them," & the social labeling process, which strengthen national identity via the exclusion of outsiders; resultant xenophobia & ethnocentrism are examined. Social integration is discussed in terms of its individual, structural, & moral components, & further distinguished from systemic integration at the level of the nation-state (which generally follows a Western democratic model). These points are considered in an analysis of the situation in contemporary postreunification Germany. K. Hyatt Stewart

Variations in forms & levels of participation in social movements are examined in terms of identity theory & commitment as functions of both individual differences & differences in social structure, location, & interaction. The concept of identity in social psychology is reviewed, noting its cultural & collective dimensions & the ways that it employs self-categorization in collapsing "group" & "social category." Ways that identity theory can explain social movement recruitment; the impact of identities related to friends, family, or other social networks on individual decisions to participate -- or not -- in social movements; commitment to a movement; & the salience of the collective identity gained through social movement participation are analyzed. 39 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

"Most studies of minority identity have utilized black American children. Drawing on the diverse traditions of this research, four summary conclusions are advanced. Particularly relevant investigations of minority identity conducted on other groups are also reviewed, and they suggest two further conclusions about the generalization of these black American results. Implications are drawn for future research and social policy. To understand better how social policy shapes minority identity, a systematic program of cross-national studies of guestworkers in Western Europe is especially urged." (author's abstract)

Analyzes the relationship betwen religion & identity in Northern Ireland, drawing on census & polling data & 1992/93 personal experience on the Opsahl Commission, an independent inquiry into ways forward in Northern Ireland. It is shown that the violence since the 1970s has polarized people to a greater extent than ever before. Much of this division is structured in terms of the Protestant & Catholic religions, which provide identity anchors for this conflict. However, it is also found that, in the recent period, polarized identities produced on the basis of religion may be eroding, particularly in the Protestant community. It is suggested that at the bottom of these developments lays the realization that the problems in Northern Ireland can only be resolved from the bottom up by individuals who learn to live & work together. 1 Table, 1 Appendix. D. M. Smith

Examines processes of self-transformation that may occur in individuals as a result of their participation in social movements, drawing on theory & research on the self-concept. The relationship between identity & self-concept is described, & types of identities involved in social movements are discussed. Dynamics of social movements that can contribute to changes in individual self-concepts are identified, using a social structure & personality model to diagram the intersection of psychological & social structural factors. The psychological process of internalization, which occurs via (1) biased scanning or (2) the reduction of cognitive dissonance, is described, along with structural/cultural characteristics of the social movement & dimensions of social interaction -- organized through narrative, texts, & rituals -- that shape self-change through identity work. 1 Figure, 64 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Points out the irony in claims of poststructuralist theories of identity construction that omit a comparable genealogy of construction theories specifically conceptualized as white identity. This leads to a cultural studies proposition that, while gender & race of the Other are discursive constructions, whiteness is not. A similar void surrounding construction of white identity is noted in the work of critical feminists & postcolonial poststructuralists. Mutually reinforcing categories of Otherness & whiteness are drawn from the works of Franz Fanon (1967) & Toni Morrison (1989) to develop a different theoretical framework for studying whiteness, arguing that both white & Other are able to author the construction of whiteness. This framework is applied to three popular culture films that reflect whiteness in relation to Others in different cultural political contexts: David Lean's Passage to India; Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing; & Kevin Costner's Dances with Wolves. How these films construct whiteness in the modalities of dialectics, synchronous, & syncretic identities is examined. 29 References. J. Lindroth

Introduces an edited collection of papers theorizing the nature of virtual reality & its significance for transformations of identity & community in postmodern society. Employing poststructural & postmodern theory, contributions interrogate the relation of cyberspace as an environment in which truth does not correspond to adequate knowledge about reality, but instead, composes a reality equipped with an alternative epistemology. In this context, a unified notion of the real becomes less important than recognition established through interactions between virtual bodies. The implication of this alternative epistemology for politics is that cyberspace cannot reconstruct a traditional assembly or agora because it cannot produce a consolidation of the general will. Absent the possibility of consensus, cyberspace-driven political actions are relegated to subversive forms of resistance that tend to be reactive rather than proactive. Thus, while cyberspace enables certain kinds of political struggles, it is also deeply implicated in institutionalized forms of previrtual politics & inequalities. 21 References. D. Ryfe

An introduction to this volume exploring the potential of social psychology for social movement theory & research. The history of social movement theorizing & research is presented, & contributions are briefly summarized & introduced. 45 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

Ways that social movement participation can contribute to the reconstruction of social identities by mobilizing around collective identities that help translate negative or stigmatized emotions into positively valued self-definitions are demonstrated in a case study of a support group for women with postpartum depression. Individual interview & survey data from women (& 5 men) across the US are supplemented with organizational-level data drawn from participant observation, archival sources, a telephone support contact survey, & media sources, as well as discourse analysis of the literature published 1975-1993 & 56 interviews with medical & mental health care providers. The "emotion culture" of this self-help movement is described, along with the ways that it contributes to the development of a collective identity among group members. The psychological dynamics of the guilt & shame experienced by mothers who experience depression after the birth of their children are summarized & explored as a form of gender resistance, ie, as a means of reconstructing the "emotion norms of motherhood" & protesting female subordination. 110 References. K. Hyatt Stewart

During the last years, a growing number of online-based applications has been developed that facilitate the creation, articulation and maintenance of social networks. They are often referred to as "social software", but up to now there is neither an accepted definition of this rather vague term, nor is there a comprehensive analytical framework to describe and explain the social dynamics that come with the institutionalization of these tools. This paper starts with a proposal for a definition and its analytical elements, concentrating on the affordances social software allows. It will then sketch an analytical model of "social software practices" based on the three key concepts of rules, relations, and code, briefly discussing these elements and their interdependencies. The paper will conclude with an outlook how the definition and the analytical model might aid
and inform future academic research as well as software development.

Relates personal experiences as a white, South African female graduate student in the US, to examine differences in racial discourse, especially perceptions of white identity. Being white was a significant fact of life while growing up in South Africa during apartheid when whites were a powerful minority. The whiteness that shapes the identity of someone of Afrikaans heritage is contrasted with how US students experience their whiteness. Although Americans appear more oblivious to racialization, it is maintained that their whiteness operates as an invisible norm, based on assumptions of their right to control. In this cultural context, the Other is psychologically more distant than in places where whiteness is more threatened. The impact of early colonial framing on white identity in South Africa is examined, along with the bifurcated nature of the identity of white South Africans who never called themselves Africans, contradictions of white South African socialization, & lessons being learned about ubuntu, the South African concept of personhood, during postapartheid discussions of reconciliation. 12 References. J. Lindroth

Explores the impact of Esperanto on international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), contending that attempts to create one human society by developing a universal language represent the earliest organized efforts to construct a global identity. In spite of never achieving its goal, Esperanto was the most successful of the "one-worldism" movements. Many INGOs initially adopted the unitary-humanity model but increased diversity led to specialized groups not focused on identity formation. It is contended that recent globalization processes are moving toward a de-emphasis on nation-states that has revitalized one-worldism based on global cultural integration. Globalization processes are examined, arguing that global identity formation is not a singular historical transformation, but an intentionally produced cultural product that is part of growing networks of international interaction. Distinctions between unitary-humanity based Esperanto INGOs & more instrumentally rational, scientized INGOs are explored, along with interaction between the two types of world discourse/organization, & the relationship between Esperantism & the world-polity environment. 3 Tables, 1 Figure. J. Lindroth