Saunders Clare
School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, University of Kent at Canterbury, UK.
Br J Sociol. 2008 Jun;59(2):227-53. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-4446.2008.00191.x.
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.
或许由于其理论上的模糊性，集体认同常常被誉为社会运动的一个重要特征，因为它在团结活动家与组织方面发挥了作用，从而帮助他们形成共同关切并参与集体行动。然而，本文认为集体认同是群体层面而非运动层面过程的结果，虽然它能够在单个运动组织内团结活动家，但对更广泛的社会运动而言并不总是有益的。尽管运动由有着广泛共同关切的活动家与组织网络构成，但运动内部不同的集体认同实际上可能极具分裂性。基于对环境运动中三个组织的案例研究，本文表明，最致力于具有包容性集体认同的组织的活动家，会与同样致力于该组织的其他活动家形成强烈的团结感。由此产生的团结导致在同一运动中的组织之间构建起“我们 - 他们”的二分法，增加了运动中各组织和派别之间产生敌意的可能性。
