Advanced Search
MyIDEAS: Login

Social Identities

Contents:

Author Info

  • Dietrich Rueschemeyer
  • Matthias vom Hau
Registered author(s):

    Abstract

    This paper develops a sociological perspective on the concept of social identities—that is relations of membership recognised as significant by members and outsiders. Social identities encompass face-to-face groups and local communities, as well as large groupings that transcend any conceivable form of direct interaction, as do ethnic groups, social classes, and nations. As collective creations, social identities help to shed light on individual behaviour as well as social outcomes, and are especially critical when analysts seek to understand the chances of collective action. A variety of actors and processes are involved in the creation and recreation of social identities, including commonalities that link up with major life interests; recognition by others, both wanted and unwanted; social conflict with outgroups; initiating entrepreneurs and continuous organisational support; links to socialisation and upbringing; the systematic cultivation of ritual and symbols; and the temporal order of all these processes. Conceptualised this way, social identities crucially link cultural patterns of allegiance and solidarity (as well as of discrimination and rejection) to the actions and dispositions of individuals, groups and organisations and to macro-background conditions such as comprehensive cultural patterns, social inequality, and overarching institutions.

    Download Info

    If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
    File URL: http://www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/resources/Working-Papers/bwpi-wp-8309.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    Bibliographic Info

    Paper provided by BWPI, The University of Manchester in its series Brooks World Poverty Institute Working Paper Series with number 8309.

    as in new window
    Length:
    Date of creation: 2009
    Date of revision:
    Handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:8309

    Contact details of provider:
    Postal: Humanities Bridgeford Street, Oxford Road,Manchester, M13 9PL
    Phone: +44(0)7717 881567
    Web page: http://www.bwpi.manchester.ac.uk/
    More information through EDIRC

    Related research

    Keywords:

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    References

    No references listed on IDEAS
    You can help add them by filling out this form.

    Citations

    Lists

    This item is not listed on Wikipedia, on a reading list or among the top items on IDEAS.

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:8309

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (Clare Degenhardt).

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If references are entirely missing, you can add them using this form.

    If the full references list an item that is present in RePEc, but the system did not link to it, you can help with this form.

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.