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Creating Cohesion from Diversity: The Challenge of Collective Identity Formation in the Global Justice Movement *
Author(s) -
Fominaya Cristina Flesher
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
sociological inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.446
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1475-682X
pISSN - 0038-0245
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-682x.2010.00339.x
Subject(s) - collective identity , sociology , collective action , social movement , identity (music) , ideology , citizen journalism , ethnography , face (sociological concept) , identity formation , epistemology , political economy , law , political science , social science , aesthetics , anthropology , politics , philosophy , negotiation
Collective identity formation is important because it plays a crucial role in sustaining movements over time. Studying collective identity formation in autonomous groups in the Global Justice Movement poses a challenge because they encompass a multiplicity of identities, ideologies, issues, frames, collective action repertoires, and organizational forms. This article analyzes the process of collective identity formation in three anti‐capitalist globalization groups in Madrid, Spain, based on 3 years of ethnographic fieldwork. The author argues that for new groups practicing participatory democracy the regular face‐to‐face assemblies are the crucial arena in which collective identity can form and must be both effective and participatory in order to foster a sense of commitment and belonging. The article raises the possibility that scholars should consider what seems to be an oxymoron: the possible benefits of “failure” for social movements.