Collective Identity in Social Movements: Central Concepts and Debates

TLDR

Collective identity is widely used by scholars to explain how movements generate commitment and cohesion, yet it remains an abstract concept. This article reviews the use of collective identity in contemporary social movement literature, providing a comprehensive theoretical overview. The authors outline the central elements of collective identity, highlight key interpretive differences, and discuss debates on its usefulness and limits, especially for heterogeneous, diverse, and inclusive movements.

Abstract

The concept of collective identity has been used extensively by social movement scholars seeking to explain how social movements generate and sustain commitment and cohesion between actors over time. Despite its wide application, collective identity is a notoriously abstract concept. This article focuses on the use of the concept in the literature on contemporary social movements and offers a comprehensive theoretical overview. The central elements of collective identity in the social movement literature are developed, and some key differences in interpretations are highlighted. Finally, some contemporary debates around the continuing usefulness and limitations of the concept of collective identity are explored, with a special emphasis on the challenges of applying the concept to movements that define themselves in terms of heterogeneity, diversity and inclusiveness.