Identity and Political Behaviour

While collective identities have increasingly attracted the attention of scholars from nearly all sub-disciplines of political science, we still know far too little about how identity issues are linked to the micro-dimension and subjective underpinnings of politics, especially citizens’ political orientations and behaviour. Does identity really affect political behaviour and, if so, does it matter? How does top-down identity building by political entrepreneurs and societal elites influence citizens’ attitudes and value orientations? How does both collective and individual identity impact political action? Does the fragmentation and politicisation of collective identities increasingly result in a de-institutionalisation of societal conflict resolution? Based on the scholarly network of the ECPR Standing Group ‘Identity’, the section will focus on the significance of individual, social and political identities for political behaviour in eight main areas. All the chairs and co-chairs are confirmed. • Identity, political action and the changing style of citizen politics (Chair: Dieter Fuchs, University of Stuttgart, Germany) • Identity, contentious politics and political protest (Chair: Akil N. Awan, University of London; UK) • Identity, local politics and communal democracy (Chair: Markus Tausendpfund, University of Hagen, Co-chair: Germany; Angelika Vetter, University of Stuttgart, Germany) • Identity Politics: Psychology, Physiology and Behaviour (Chair: Laura Cram, University of Edinburgh, UK) • Identity and the politics of emotions (Chair: Liah Greenfeld, Boston University, USA) • Identity technologies, group definition and beliefs of legitimacy (Chair: Ireneusz P. Karolewski, Willy Brandt Center for German and European Studies, University of Wroclav, Poland; Co-chair: Soetkin Verhagen, University of Leuven, Belgium) • Identity politics and the clash of values (Chair: Jennifer Todd, University College Dublin, Ireland) • Measuring identity at the micro-level of analysis (Chair: Jochen Roose, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Germany; Co-chair: Sebastian Kuhn, University of Hagen, Germany) Scholars are invited to propose panels which promise new insights and fresh ideas based on empirical as well as theoretically grounded research.