Disagreements over whether polarization exists in the mass public have confounded two separate types of polarization. When social polarization is separated from issue position polarization, both ...sides of the polarization debate can be simultaneously correct. Social polarization, characterized by increased levels of partisan bias, activism, and anger, is increasing, driven by partisan identity and political identity alignment, and does not require the same magnitude of issue position polarization. The partisan-ideological sorting that has occurred in recent decades has caused the nation as a whole to hold more aligned political identities, which has strengthened partisan identity and the activism, bias, and anger that result from strong identities, even though issue positions have not undergone the same degree of polarization. The result is a nation that agrees on many things but is bitterly divided nonetheless. An examination of ANES data finds strong support for these hypotheses.
This between-subject survey experiment, conducted in two waves using a German sample (N = 1166 in Wave 1, N = 829 in Wave 2), examined the hypothesis that identity-related frames – specifically, ...assimilation versus multicultural – affect outgroup prejudice and admission policy preferences by increasing the salience of different national identity representations (NIR). Participants were exposed to identical articles (except for the manipulations) framing information about Syrian refugees in Germany in either assimilation or multicultural terms. As predicted, exposure to assimilation versus multicultural frames led to higher ethnocultural NIR salience and, in turn, to higher outgroup prejudice and preference for more restrictive admission policies. Still, findings pointed to the defining role of frame content and valence perception in these effects, as perceiving the frame as more assimilationist and anti-immigration was related to higher ethnocultural NIR salience. Furthermore, frame perception explained a larger portion of variation in ethnocultural NIR salience than treatment alone. Additionally, ethnocultural NIR salience fostered intergroup threat perception leading to higher outgroup prejudice and preference for restrictive asylum policies. In contrast, civic NIR salience was unaffected by the experimental manipulation. We discuss the impact of identity-related frames on ethnocultural NIR salience and the role of exclusionary national identities on outgroup prejudice and preference for restrictive admission policies. We also highlight the benefits of using multicultural frames to frame information about refugees and asylum to foster positive intergroup perceptions.
•Frame perception played a key role in identity-related framing effects.•Perceiving frame as assimilationist or negative went with higher ethnocultural NIR.•Higher ethnocultural NIR was linked to more negative outgroup and policy attitudes.•Civic NIR salience was unaffected by frame exposure or frame perception.
National identity definitions determine who belongs to the national ingroup (e.g., “us Germans”) versus the “foreign” outgroup prone to hostile outgroup bias. We conducted five studies in two ...countries investigating if viewing the ingroup's national identity as fixed exacerbates the perceived divide between ingroup and outgroup and thus increases anti‐immigrant hostility, while a malleable view blurs the divide and reduces anti‐immigrant hostility. In a Prestudy (58 participants), an Implicit Theory of National Identity Scale was developed. In Studies 1 (154 participants) and 2 (390 participants), our scale predicted individuals’ prejudice and participation rates in a hypothetical referendum and a real petition against immigrants. In Studies 3 (225 participants) and 4 (225 participants), experimental evidence was obtained. Leading participants to believe that the definition of “a true compatriot” changes over time (rather than remaining the same) resulted in lower levels of prejudice and participation rates in an anti‐immigrant petition.
Social markers of acceptance (SMA) are socially constructed criteria (e.g., language skills, shared genealogy, or adherence to social norms) that receiving society nationals use in deciding whether ...to view an immigrant as a member of the national ingroup. This study had two objectives: 1. to identify the markers considered important by Japanese to accept immigrants in Japanese society, and 2. to examine the type of intergroup conditions that may shape immigrant inclusion by influencing the degree of emphasis placed on SMA: specifically, perceived immigrant threat, contribution, and social status, as well as intergroup boundary permeability and strength of national identification. Native-born Japanese (n = 2000) completed an online survey, where two latent factors emerged representing ethnic and civic markers—suggesting that national identity may have changed in the past 25 years, with Japanese developing a distinct civic conceptualization in addition to a previously existing ethnic one. Multiple hierarchical regressions found significant main effects of perceived immigrant threat, contribution, status, and boundary permeability for both civic and ethnic dimensions, as well as interactions between threat x status and threat x permeability. As hypothesized, threat had positive effects on SMA emphasis, and contribution exerted negative effects—indicating more exclusive and inclusive attitudes among Japanese, respectively. Results for national identity were inconsistent, complementing social identity theory for ethnic markers but contradicting it for civic marker importance. Consistent with social identity theory, immigrants perceived as “low status” triggered endorsement of more restrictive civic and ethnic benchmarks; however, contrary to expectations, increased threat under less porous intergroup boundaries predicted more restrictive civic and ethnic marker utilization.
•Identified criteria used in Japanese concepts of national identity.•Showed these criteria change depending upon 5 variables.•Suggests Japanese national identity has changed since 1995.•Integrated threat theory supported & social identity theory had mixed support.•Utilized nationally representative sample (n = 2000) for gender and age.
The current study defined two types of thinking about meaning in life and explored their cultural variations. Grateful meaning indicates thinking about meaning when people are satisfied with their ...life. Existential meaning signifies thinking about meaning when people are not satisfied with their life. Cultural variations in grateful and existential meaning were addressed by employing the latest waves of World Values Survey. For grateful meaning, some Asian and Central American countries showed higher scores and some ex-Communist countries scored lower. Financial satisfaction and some social factors such as religion, national identity and particularized trust were significant positive predictors to grateful meaning. For existential meaning, European countries showed lower scores. Economic factors such as GDP per capita and financial satisfaction showed negative correlations with existential meaning, whereas religion, national identity, and particularized trust showed positive relationships. These results suggest that sense of security represented by financial satisfaction and in-group memberships were critical for grateful meaning, whereas economic factors and secular values negatively contributed to existential meaning.
Objetivos: Analisar as interações entre o conceito de patrimônio como objeto de construção histórica e seus efeitos no contexto das práticas sociais atuais. Observar as relações entre Cultura, ...Identidade Nacional e Patrimonio. Discutir o conceito de Patrimônio Dissonante, através de um estudo de caso, o Monumento a Ferdinando I Grão-Duque de Toscana, conhecido como Os quatro Mouros. Metodologia: Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo de natureza teórica, portanto bibliográfico, que busca, de forma ensaística, lançar mão de questões epistemológicas. Resultados: A proposta de utilizar o conceito de patrimônio dissonante desempenha um papel de crítica da violência da modernidade, podendo incidir na elaboração de uma memória cultural que enfrente a hierarquização étnica, de classe e de gênero diferentes. Considerações finais: A elaboração e aplicação do conceito de patrimônio dissonante permite que o patrimônio desempenhe a função: de reorganizar as memórias de forma abrangente e não mais atrelados à ideia de culturas identidades nacionais unificadoras.
Amid the global resurgence of nationalist governments, what do we know about nationalism? This review takes stock of political science debates on nationalism to critically assess what we already know ...and what we still need to know. We begin by synthesizing classic debates and tracing the origins of the current consensus that nations are historically contingent and socially constructed. We then highlight three trends in contemporary nationalism scholarship: (
a
) comparative historical research that treats nationalism as a macropolitical force and excavates the relationships between nations, states, constitutive stories, and political conflict; (
b
) behavioral research that uses survey data and experiments to gauge the causes and effects of attachment to nations; and (
c
) ethnographic scholarship that illuminates the everyday processes and practices that perpetuate national belonging. The penultimate section briefly summarizes relevant insights from philosophy, history, and social psychology and identifies knowledge gaps that political scientists are well-positioned to address. A final section calls for more comparative, cross-disciplinary, cross-regional research on nationalism.
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