Double edged swords? Collective identity and solidarity in the environment movement
Double edged swords? Collective identity and solidarity in the environment movement
Perhaps by virtue of its theoretical slipperiness, collective identity is often hailed as an important feature of social movements for the role it plays in unifying activists and organizations, and so helping them to develop shared concerns and engage in collective action. However, this paper argues that collective identity is the result of group rather than movement level processes, and although it can unite activists within a single movement organization, it is not always beneficial for the broader social movement. Although movements consist of networks of activists and organizations that have a broad shared concern, differing collective identities within the movement can actually be quite divisive. Based on case studies of three organizations in the environmental movement, this paper shows that activists who are most committed to an organization with an encompassing collective identity develop a strong sense of solidarity with other activists similarly committed to that organization. The resultant solidarity leads to the construction of a 'we–them' dichotomy between organizations within the same movement, increasing the chances of hostility between organizations and factions within the movement.
collective identity, social movements, solidarity, environmental movement
227-253
Saunders, Clare
c1478ea2-16d7-4fac-856d-516c97e4d5eb
June 2008
Saunders, Clare
c1478ea2-16d7-4fac-856d-516c97e4d5eb
Saunders, Clare
(2008)
Double edged swords? Collective identity and solidarity in the environment movement.
British Journal of Sociology, 59 (2), .
(doi:10.1111/j.1468-4446.2008.00191.x).
Abstract
Perhaps by virtue of its theoretical slipperiness, collective identity is often hailed as an important feature of social movements for the role it plays in unifying activists and organizations, and so helping them to develop shared concerns and engage in collective action. However, this paper argues that collective identity is the result of group rather than movement level processes, and although it can unite activists within a single movement organization, it is not always beneficial for the broader social movement. Although movements consist of networks of activists and organizations that have a broad shared concern, differing collective identities within the movement can actually be quite divisive. Based on case studies of three organizations in the environmental movement, this paper shows that activists who are most committed to an organization with an encompassing collective identity develop a strong sense of solidarity with other activists similarly committed to that organization. The resultant solidarity leads to the construction of a 'we–them' dichotomy between organizations within the same movement, increasing the chances of hostility between organizations and factions within the movement.
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e-pub ahead of print date: 22 May 2008
Published date: June 2008
Keywords:
collective identity, social movements, solidarity, environmental movement
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 55051
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/55051
ISSN: 0007-1315
PURE UUID: b02a8e81-8f21-4c26-89f8-ee090198b9af
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Date deposited: 05 Aug 2008
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 10:52
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Author:
Clare Saunders
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