Blackwell Reference Online

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Collective identity is a widely used concept. It is evoked in social scientific studies of and social commentaries on gender, multiculturalism, sexuality, identity politics, ethnicity, nationalism, and social movements (Phelan 1989; Calhoun 1994, 1997; Kelly-Fikohazi 1997; Lichterman 1999; Ryan 2001; Armstrong 2002). As Snow (2001) suggests, collective identity may well be a concept that captures the “animating spirit” of the “latter quarter of the twentieth century.”In the social science literature on movements, the use of collective identity is extensive. It is seen as both a necessary precursor and product of movement collective action. Researchers have used collective identity in various theories and at all levels of analysis (Stryker et al. 2000). Collective identity has been central in accounts of movement “emergence, trajectories, and impacts” (Polletta and Jasper 2001: 283). It has also been incorporated into analyses of grievance constructions and framing processes (Hunt et al. 1994; see also chapter 17 in this volume), motivations for participation (see chapter 16 in this volume), activists' tactical choices (see chapter 12 in this volume), life-course outcomes (McAdam 1988; Whittier 1995), and emotions (Goodwin et al. 2001). Collective identity seems to be either a central concept or a residual category for nearly every theoretical perspective and empirical question associated ... log in or subscribe to read full text