Talk:Collective identity

Sci-fi

The section "collective identity in science fiction" does not seem to be appropriate for this article, certainly not as the primary example section. The linked sci-fi articles feature examples which, whilst using similar language, do not deal with the subject in any real sense. Sci-fi writers have a tendency to take "neat" concepts and use them regardless of scientific accuracy. I will move the section in question to a less prominent position on the article page and add a sentence to that effect. 84.9.161.241 (talk) 22:40, 13 June 2009 (UTC)

I think you are right; plus I wonder if whoever wrote this unreferenced section wasn't confusing collective identity with collective consciousness. --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| talk} 19:45, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

I also think the sci-fi examples describe collective consciousness or hive mind rather than collective identity. Junuxx (talk) 14:13, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

Inventing the term

Some sources (ex. [1]) state that the concept of collective identity was introduced in academic discourse by Alberto Melucci (and so does he: [2]) but a cursory search through Google Books shows that the term was used widely even before he was born: [3]. Perhaps Melucci redefined the term? He is certainly important in the relevant studies; Janet M. Conway wrote ([4]) for example: "One of the most influential theorists of collective identity formation in social movements is Alberto Melucci.". This needs to be clarified. Obviously somebody first coined it... see also obliteration by incorporation :) --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| talk} 19:37, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

In their discussion of the definition of collective identity and its use in different disciplines, Ashmore et al. (2004) [5] mention Gleason (1983) [6] as an early advocate of the importance of social/ethnic identity in psychology and sociology. Also Tajfel (1978, 1981) is mentioned for the field of social psychology, and McCall and Simmons (1978) for sociology.

An interesting quote froom Gleason with regards to the origin of the term:

The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, published in 1968, carries a substantial article on 'Identity, Psychosocial', and another on 'Identification, Political'. The original Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, published in the early 1930s, carries no entry at all for identity [...]

Anyway the article would definitely benifit from adding some academic material. Junuxx (talk) 14:13, 28 April 2010 (UTC)

Refs for expansion

• [7], [8], [9]. --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| talk} 19:44, 29 July 2009 (UTC)

I added a citation that was needed for this sentence. "Not to be confused with social identity theory or self-categorization theory, collective identity focuses on the identity of the group as a whole, while the other theories focus on the identity of an individual's association with a group." It is reference number 7, Waves of Protest.Savepandas16 (talk) 03:06, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Cleanup tag switch

Hi all, I swapped the cleanup tag to better reflect the article's current limitations. Specifically, that the 'evolutionary function' section only reflects one author's work on the subject. Of course the article needs more fleshing out generally, but I think that is obvious. Cheers Andrew (talk) 03:09, 1 October 2012 (UTC)

Ideas for Cleanup and Expansion

Plan on expanding on this article. Here's a brief plan

• There are currently a few articles related to the same subject but slightly ambiguous separation (perhaps they should be combined into one article with subsections? or just better link these articles in a more cohesive way?). They all seem to fall under the umbrella of Collective identity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_identity_theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_identity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_politics

• Article currently only talks about one person’s theory/study on collective identity (expand on this)
• Article gives a very basic definition about collective identity( could be more specific)
• Some good links in External Links, but the content of those link was never discussed in the article
• Similar to above, though the intro talks about Tajfel and Turner’s research, it’s never explained in the body.
• Distinction between social identity and collective identity might need explaining

Here are some sources that the plan's based off of:

Books

1. National Collective Identity: Social constructs and systems by Rodney Bruce Hall
2. Community, Self, and Identity by Misra Bhabagrahi
3. Social Theory and the Politics of Identity by Craig Calhoun
4. Social Movements and Culture by Hank Johnston and Bert Klandermans
5. Social Identity and Intergroup Relations by Henri Tajfel

Articles

1. Collective Identities by Linnie Kesselly Network Journal (11/30/2006)
2. http://www.credoreference.com/entry/hodderdpsyc/identity/2 Encyclopeadic Dictionary of Psychology
3. http://www.credoreference.com/entry/bksocialmov/collective_identity_solidarity_and_commitment David A. Snow in Blackwell
4. http://myweb.scu.edu.tw/~wangresearch/topic/topic4/Who%20Is%20This%20%20We.pdf Ohio State University
5. http://iweb.swufe.edu.cn/jiarui/Management_Resources/%E4%BC%81%E4%B8%9A%E7%AE%A1%E7%90%86/Social%20identity%20theory%20and%20the%20organization.pdf Academy of Management
6. http://dare2.ubvu.vu.nl/bitstream/handle/1871/17614/Ellemers_European%20Journal%20of%20Social%20Psychology_29_1999_u.pdf?sequence=2 European Journal of Social Psychology

Wildmusketeer (talk) 03:09, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

Hi Wildemusketeer. Thanks for giving this page some attention. I also agree that it needs some serious fleshing out. I would not endorse, however, merging this article with the other related pages that you point to. I think that there is enough depth of research within each of these topics to necessitate separate articles. I think your idea of using this article to link together related research has the most merit and I hope I can help a little with this. Cheers Andrew (talk) 09:30, 7 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm currently collaborating with Wildmusketeer on this and we've decided to edit the page to include the following sections:

• Definition of the term
• History of Collective Identity

Include the evolutionary origins section of the current article

Development of Term

• Usage/Application
• Related topics (social identity theory*, cultural identity, identity politics, etc), differentiate clearly between the topics

Any critique will be appreciated, as well as suggestions. Renzh02 (talk) 21:29, 16 October 2012 (UTC)

Hi Renzh02. That sounds quite reasonable to me, although I wonder if the evolutionary perspective is more of a 'related topic' rather than part of the 'history of the research'. I am also wondering whether there should be perhaps a merge between this article and the ingroups and outgroups page, but this might be an issue to face down the track. Fundamentally I look forward to seeing what you and Wildmusketeer do with the article. Cheers Andrew (talk) 01:57, 22 October 2012 (UTC)

At least some academic authors use the term "collective identity" as a synonym for or a superordinate category for "social identity." (e.g.,Ashmore, R. D., Deaux, K., & McLaughlin-Volpe, T. (2004). An organizing framework for collective identity: Articulation and significance of multidimensionality. Psychological Bulletin, 130(1), 80-114. Brewer, M. B., & Gardner, W. (1996). Who is this "We"? Levels of collective identity and self representations. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 71(1), 83-93.)

One suggestion, which you may be thinking about, is to actually strip this page of most substance, and let it be a portal or table-of-contents page that directs readers to where the meatier articles are, such as social identity theory. The collective identity page could then have one paragraph abstracts or summaries of the linked pages, but the readers goes to the linked pages to get the details. Then make your expansion on the linked page.

The structure might be something like:

• Definition of the term
• Collective identity in social psychology (with link to Social_identity_theory)
• Collective identity in sociology(with link to social_role]
• Collective identity in political science (with link to Identity_politics)

Robertekraut (talk) 22:09, 23 October 2012 (UTC)

Hi all. That all sounds quite reasonable to me (just about anything would be an improvement at this stage). Just quickly, I would suggest that you link to the social identity approach article rather than the social identity theory article (unless it is in a historical context). The nature of social identification is more an SCT thing than an SIT thing. Cheers Andrew (talk) 05:29, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

A single source for the evolutionary functions

I added the ‘single source’ banner to this section as I have concerns about how broadly recognized content of this section is. I also feel that the section is currently overly niche and will eventually need to be expanded to cover more general perspectives on the role of evolution in the emergence of collective identities. Cheers Andrew (talk) 02:42, 12 November 2012 (UTC)

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