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, Spabased 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. © 2010 Alpha Kappa Delta.
CITATION STYLE
Fominaya, C. F. (2010). Creating Cohesion from Diversity: The Challenge of Collective Identity Formation in the Global Justice Movement. Sociological Inquiry, 80(3), 377–404. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-682X.2010.00339.x
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