Abstract
This study examined factors underlying collective action tendencies in a context of severe disadvantage and high repression. Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA; van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008), we tested the roles of group-based anger, participative efficacy, group identity—SIMCA variables—but also fear. Although SIMCA has been widely used in various social contexts, little is known about how well it applies to severely disadvantaged groups in highly repressive situations. In the study of female Filipina domestic workers ( N = 123) in Beirut, Lebanon, results provided partial support for SIMCA, such that identity indirectly and positively predicted collective action intentions via efficacy, but not anger. Importantly, fear modulated the paths from anger and efficacy to collective action intentions. Efficacy and anger positively predicted collective action tendencies among individuals low, but not high, in fear. These findings attest to the importance of studying political actions among underrepresented populations.
Highlights
This study examined factors underlying collective action tendencies in a context of severe disadvantage and high repression
Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA; van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008), we tested the roles of group-based anger, efficacy, and group identification—factors proposed by SIMCA—and fear in predicting the collective action intentions of migrant domestic workers (MDWs)
We proposed that the unique context of MDWs in Lebanon might influence SIMCA relationships, and warrant the consideration of other potential predictors of collective action such as fear
Summary
This study examined factors underlying collective action tendencies in a context of severe disadvantage and high repression. Drawing on the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA; van Zomeren, Postmes, & Spears, 2008), we tested the roles of group-based anger, efficacy, and group identification—factors proposed by SIMCA—and fear in predicting the collective action intentions of MDWs. SIMCA has been widely used to explain collective action in a variety of social and political contexts, little is known about how well the model applies to contexts characterized by severe disadvantage and repression. In one such attempt, following a meta-analysis of over 180 studies investigating predictors of collective action, van Zomeren, Postmes, and Spears (2008) proposed SIMCA They combined the roles of three key variables, namely emotional reactions to injustice, efficacy, and identification. Group-based anger has been shown to be an important force motivating feminist collective action (Hercus, 1999) and women’s action tendencies aimed at requesting reparations by perpetrators of sexism (Pennekamp, Doosje, Zebel, & Fischer, 2007)
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