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A social identity model of riot diffusion: From injustice to empowerment in the 2011 London riots
Author(s) -
Drury John,
Stott Clifford,
Ball Roger,
Reicher Stephen,
Neville Fergus,
Bell Linda,
Biddlestone Mikey,
Choudhury Sanjeedah,
Lovell Max,
Ryan Caoimhe
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2650
Subject(s) - psychology , social psychology , identity (music) , social identity theory , construct (python library) , collective identity , injustice , narrative , prosocial behavior , social group , linguistics , philosophy , physics , politics , computer science , acoustics , law , political science , programming language
Previous research has shown that riots spread across multiple locations, but has not explained underlying psychological processes. We examined rioting in three locations during the August 2011 disorders in England to test a social identity model of riot diffusion. We triangulated multiple sources to construct a narrative of events; and we analysed interviews with 68 participants to examine experiences. In line with the model, we found evidence for two pathways of influence: “cognitive” and “strategic”. For some participants, previous rioting was highly self‐relevant, and shared identity was the basis of their subsequent involvement. For others, previous rioting was empowering because it demonstrated the vulnerability of a common enemy (the police). In each location, interaction dynamics mediated the link between initial perceptions and collective action. The utility of this social identity approach is that it is able to account for both the boundaries and the sequence of urban riot diffusion.