| Social
movements and collective identity
Abstracts (english)
Dieter
Rucht
Collective identity: Conceptual reflections on an important tool of
social movement research
FJNSB, pp. 9-23
The author stresses the crucial importance of collective identity
in order to locate social movements. He analyzes the collective identity
of social movements in a threefold manner, adapting the concepts of
identit‚, opposition and totalit‚ by Alain Touraine: Collective
identity as the connection of interactions based on a certain structural
network, as a challenge for other social groups and as the 'interpretor'
of a social conflict. Rucht discusses these three dimensions in the
light of recent theories within the realm of social movement research.
He concludes with some remarks on the factors which may constribute
to the decline of the collective identity of social movements. Positively
spoken: To stabilize collective identity permanently it is necessary
to keep the adequat relationship between exclusion and inclusion of
a social movement.
Oliver
Schmidtke
Collective identity and the political mobilization of territorial movements:
An analytical perspective
FJNSB, pp. 24-31
The function of collective identity is defined as a means to
standardize social relationships and to secure continuity. Schmidtke
distinguishes three types of collective identity: primordial, cultural,
and civic identity. The author reconstructs how the identity of the
Italian Lega Lombarda had shifted from a primordially defined one towards
a cultural identity. This was due to a changed 'political opportunity
structure' that necessitated an extension of 'politics of identity'
to mobilize people beyond the initially restricted territory of Northern
Italy and to gain relevance in the whole country.
Veit
Michael Bader
Ethnic identity and ethnic culture. Limits of constructivism and of
manipulation
FJNSB, pp. 32-45
Collective ethnic identity is the focus of this essay. Bader
defines collective identity in general (1) by an awareness of belonging
to a group, (2) by the discrimination of non-members, (3) by the collective
interpretation of belonging, (4) by a functional relationship towards
individual identity that induces action for the individual, (5) by situations
of rivalry and struggle and (6) by a mutual relationship of definitions
of oneself by oneself and by others. Ethnic identity is also discussed
referring to Anthony Smith's study 'The Ethnic Origins of Nations' (1986).
Bernd
Simon
Individual and collective self: Sociopsychological basics of social
movements, in the case of the gay movement
FJNSB, pp. 46-55
The analysis of the relationship between the individual and
a group and the transformation of one into the other is central to modern
experimental social psychology. It is generated by discontinuous individual
behavior. The author refers to psychological approaches towards the
concept of self and the problem of self-interpretation. Individual self-interpretation
is presented as being composed of several social aspects of the self,
allowing the individual to be defined more easily. However, such self-interpretation
gradually becomes less stable. Simon exemplifies his findings on the
basis of empirical surveys of the gay movement: Stigmatized minorities
tend to harmonize their sense of identity by external as well as by
self-induced influences. Social aspects of the self are shared and contribute
to the experience of the common social fate.
Ulrich
Wagner/Andreas Zick
Social identity and group behavior: Sociopsychological contributions
to an analysis of social movements
FJNSB, pp. 56-67
The authors describe the development of theory and method of
the 'social identity approach' since the seventies, when the crisis
of social psychology was manifest in its lack to come to terms with
'large-scale processes'. This approach and its theories of social identity
can make an important contribution to the discussion of collective identites
of social movements. However, the findings of social psychology are
only of limited value as far as ideological components within collective
identities are concerned, e.g., racial, ethnical or religious motives.
Kai-Uwe
Hellmann
Social movements and collective identity: About the latency, crisis
and reflection of social milieus
FJNSB, pp. 68-81
In this essay social movements are perceived as collective
identities of their respective social bases, taking up the classic distinction
of 'Klasse an sich' and 'Klasse fürs sich'. Luhmann's concept of reflexion
is appreciated: A social system defines its identity by reflecting on
the difference to its environment, and that means: to everything else
otuside of istelf. The social basis of a movement is described - refering
to Gerhard Schulze's 'Erlebnisgesellschaft' - as a social milieu that
is confirmed of its genuine identity in times of severe crisis' by the
corresponding movement. Thus, the collective identity of the main social
basis of the new social movements is a product of the mobilization of
these new social movements.
Wolf-Dieter
Narr
Between profession and movement: The anniversary of the 'Arbeitskreis
Soziale Bewegungen'
FJNSB, pp. 82-89
Ruud
Koopmans
Movement or stagnation? A critical analysis of the recent German research
on social movements
FJNSB, pp. 90-96
These two lectures were held on the Potsdam Conference of Political
Scientists in August 1994 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of
the 'Arbeitskreis Soziale Bewegungen'. Koopmans's text is a lightly
ironical outline of the state of affairs. Narr emphasizes the current
lack of approaches of democratic theory and of macro-sociology, and
deplores the high grade of 'scientification'. On the contrary, KOOPMANS
pleades for more 'scientification', because the German discussion is
too much preoccupied with abstract discussions on concept and definition
which neglecting empirical research, which is not only in its own right,
but may also help to resolve conceptual problems.
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