Collective Identity

Use the concept of collective identity to describe why collective actors come into being when they do. Create you own example or draw from a movement discussed in class.

The definition for collective identity has evolved over the years. A newer definition proposed by Polletta and Jasper defines collective identity as an individual’s cognitive, moral, and emotional connection with a broader community, category, practice, or institution (Muse, Powerpoint). Agreeing with the ideology of a movement does not mean that the individual has collective identity with the group. It requires active participation in order to create collective identity. Those who do actively participate in movements do so because of affective connections, self-oriented
Ties to other members are very essential in drawing actors into a movement as well as keeping them in the movement. The second concept is self-oriented rational action, which is often linked to the expectations of a person’s roles (Muse, Powerpoint). Two distinct groups of why people felt compelled to participate in the movement can be seen in the SNCC’s Freedom Summer. The first group was comprised of teachers and education majors who felt like their participation was an extension of their occupational roles or future career plans. The second group was comprised of those who were very religious. They believed that it was an extension of the social gospel in action or an opportunity to bear personal witness” to the idea of Christian brotherhood. The third and final reason why actors participated in the movement was in order to create a desired self. Many of the individuals in the movement testified about this burgeoning need to change society. They wanted to personally be on the forefront of the movement. There was a sense of generational potency during this period, and many students wanted to be involved in changing the political
Being socially aware enough to participate in a political protest can cause stress because members of the protest are constantly discussing their grievances. Personally, being involved in a political protest would affect me emotionally. As James Baldwin put it, “to be black in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in rage almost all the time.” If I was involved in a political protest for my race, I would be angry and stressed at all times. Although I would not consider myself an active member of the Black Lives Matter movement, it is a political protest against the police brutality on the black community and the injustice in the judicial branch that I support. Since the creation of the Black Lives Matter movement, members of the black community have used media to spread news of individuals who were victims of police brutality. Police brutality has been an issue for several years, especially in the black community, but with the help of media, it is coming to the forefront and becoming seen by those who did not think it was a problem. Ever since the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, there has been news of a new victim of police brutality everyday. Hearing news of another black body being killed makes me depressed and upset about our system. At this point in my life, I do not think I am