Diversity and Heterogeneity Influencing Social Identity

Abstract

We know very little about how social identities change facing the challenges of modern societies. Globalization, urbanization, individualization, secularization, and migratory movements are associated with increasing cultural heterogeneity and socio-economic disparity. Since social identification is grounded on in-group homogeneity and mutual understandings, the increased social inequality as well as the broadening spectrum of value systems, world views, ideologies, attitudes, beliefs, and lifestyles raise the question of whether these developments are associated with modifications or reconstructions of social identities. This panel aims to shed light on the links between growing social, cultural, ethnic or class differences and collective identity processes. Thus, we welcome both theoretical as well as empirical contributions that ask for connections between diversity/heterogeneity and social identity. Possible questions could be: - Do dissimilarities with regard to political/social attitudes trigger identity formation processes? - How are social identification patterns linked to differences in value systems? - Do variances in moral attitudes affect group identities? - Do regional identities correspond with spatial variations of culture? - Are increasing socioeconomic inequalities associated with a reinforcement of social class identity? - Does growing ethnic heterogeneity strengthen in-group identities? - Is social identity linked to population opinion polarization (POP) and are there any social/political consequences resulting from this linkage?

Title	Details
Does precariousness form a social class identity?	View Paper Details
Heterogeneity in Cultural Threat and Social Trust	View Paper Details
From 'poor Flanders' to 'Flanders being held back by the poor': economic imbalances and socio-psychological adaptations	View Paper Details