Transformation Of Collective Identity Research Articles

ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯ ЦИВИЛИЗАЦИОННОЙ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТИ В РОССИИ НА РУБЕЖЕ ХХ–ХХI ВЕКОВ: ОТ ВЕСТЕРНИЗАЦИИ К ЕВРАЗИЙСТВУ

In the previous publication from the possible series of articles on the transformation of collective identity in Russia, the issue of external factors affecting this transformation was considered. These factors are understood by the author of the article as relationship of Russia, on the one hand, with America, and, on the other, with China. The purpose of this article is to understand the current transformation of the civilizational identity of Russia, the vector of which is defined as the movement from westernization to eurasianism. Russia passed the stage associated with Westernization at the stage of history that is called the Peter’s Empire. In the twentieth century and especially in its second half, Russia enters the stage of Americanization. After all, America during this period becomes one of the leaders in world history. Russia did not have time to survive this next stage, when the situation in the world began to change as a result of the strengthening of the Chinese civilization in the world. So, in our time, the idea of Russian scientists, emigrant – Eurasians, who proved that Russia does not represent the Romano-German region, but the Eurasian region, no longer seems utopia. It is clear that changes in the world can only contribute to the transformation of Russia's collective identity. From this point of view, it is certainly no «third Rome». Its «registration» should be sought in the East, which was done, for example, by O. Spengler. Appealing to the films of M. Antonioni, O. Iosseliani and others, the author is trying to trace such changes in various civilizations, including in Russia. The topic will be continued in subsequent publications of the series that has been begun.

From Communal Patriotism To City-State Chauvinism: Transformation of Collective Identities in Northern Italy, 1050–1500

At the turn of the first millennium, the rise of autonomous communes and city-states in northern Italy coincided with the development of a particular sense of attachment to land and city, which is widely labeled as civic patriotism. Neither the transformation of these collective identities across time nor the macrostructural dynamics behind this transformation has received much attention. Through an examination of these communes and city-states from the eleventh to the sixteenth century, this paper unpacks different forms of collective identities that prevailed in northern Italy in different periods of time, all of which have previously been labeled as “patriotism” in the literature. The differentiation I propose between “communal patriotism,” “civic nationalism,” and “city-state chauvinism” presents a more nuanced picture which highlights the differences in the ways these collective identities are produced, reproduced, and transformed. My analysis also discusses the role played by macrostructural dynamics (e.g., changing climate in the macropolitical economy as well as inter-city-state system in the peninsula) in transforming these collective identities. Alongside a longue duree evolutionary transformation, there were two conjunctural moments which created ruptures in the transformation of collective identities in northern Italy: The first took place during the territorialization of the communes and the conquest of the contado in the mid-twelfth century and the second occurred in the aftermath of the crisis of the fourteenth century.

Parsing the Power of “New Media” in Malaysia

While “new media” have substantially altered the landscape for information dissemination and social mobilisation, these media are neither all alike in their ideological leanings or intentions, nor independently capable of identity transformation and mobilisation. The paper explores these new media in the context of Malaysia since the late 1990s. It differentiates among news sites and organisational websites, which transmit (often previously proscribed) information to domestic and foreign audiences, with potentially significant effects on “civicness” and mobilisation; blogs, which tend to be primarily personalised, monological and often unfiltered; and social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which have eroded the anonymity of online interaction but represent the apex of self-selected communities. “Old media” still populate this landscape as well, from newspapers and other media sources, to public lectures, to leaflets and other ad hoc publications. Even apart from common caveats as to who has access, criteria for evaluation of these new and old media as tools for political change must vary, including differing degrees of information-provision and edification, interest articulation and aggregation, and transformation of collective identities so as to enable new patterns of mobilisation for collective action.

Transforming National Holidays: Identity Discourse in the West and South Slavic Countries, 1985–2010 (review)

SEER, 91, 4, OCTOBER 2013 942 that the Kremlin and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are consciously using the Russian Orthodox Church as a channel for diplomatic communication, as is widely assumed by Curanović and other scholars. Despite these weaknesses it is worth mentioning that this monograph affords some interesting insights. It highlights, for example, that the Russian Orthodox Church plays a greater role in Moscow’s relations with Central Asia than Russia’s Muslim community, as the latter is more fragmented than the Orthodox camp. The author also points out that due to migration from Central Asia the Russian language has been strengthened in Russia’s Muslim community as it is the lingua franca amongst the migrants and their hosts. These points as well as some clever argumentation make this book an enjoyable read. University of Erfurt and London Katja Richters Šarić, Liljana, Gammelgaard, Karen and Hauge, Kjetil Rå (eds). Transforming National Holidays: Identity Discourse in the West and South Slavic Countries, 1985–2010. Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society and Culture, 47. John Benjamins, Amsterdam and Philadelphia, PA, 2012. xiii + 314 pp. Illustrations. Tables. Notes. Bibliography. Appendix. Index. €99.00: $149.00. The common point of interest uniting the contributions to this volume is the transformation of collective identity within the context of broader societal transformation that took place in Central and Southeast Europe between 1989 and 2010. The work is focused on discursive constructions of collective identity in speeches delivered at and print media covering national holidays. The analyses invariably confirm that identity discourse used on the occasion of nationalholidayswassubjecttofrequentanddrasticchangesandcontroversies, indicating the salience of national identity as a category of practice for elites during societal transformations. Although the academic relevance of the articles is beyond dispute, the volume as a whole lacks an overarching framework. The authors apply a broad array of methodological approaches within discourse analysis. At times this complicates the analysis and the argument of the separate articles and the volume as a whole. The same applies to the introduction by Liljana Šarić and Karen Gammelgaard, which reads like a series of thoughts and lacks a concise definitionofmethodologyandconcern.Additionally,mostofthecontributions remain restricted to a descriptive account of the instability of interpretations of national holidays by press and politicians, and no overarching findings or further research questions are attached to the different case-studies. Nevertheless, a number of shared findings are evident. A first group of essays focuses on the profoundly changing interpretations of national holidays in the REVIEWS 943 region since the fall of Communism. Marko Soldić clarifies how in Macedonia, Ilinden has gained new relevance and meaning to make sense of the country’s internal and international situation. Soldić also points out that the two major political parties appropriated Ilinden in support of their political agendas, establishing parallel interpretations and commemorations. Alexander Bielicki studies homilies delivered at the Slovak national pilgrimage on Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows Day to show that the languages of religion and nationhood were closely intertwined in the late Communist period and mid 2000s. However, the content of the intertwining changed drastically, contingent on the socio-political position of the Catholic Church in Slovakia. Gammelgaard studies presidential addresses delivered on 28 October by Czechoslovakia’s last Communist president and the three presidents of the Czech Republic after 1993. She too concludes that the discursive construction of Czech national identity changed considerably depending on the political context. Asecond,morein-depthandstimulatingthemeintheessaysrevolvesaround competing discursive constructions of national holidays. Kjetil Rå Hauge describes the controversial re-introduction of the national holiday of 3 March in Bulgaria after the fall of Communism, presenting the major arguments pro and contra and suggestions for other national holidays. In Croatia, Šarić explains, there are controversies and public confusion over two new competing statehood days that are closely associated with political opponents. In the most rewarding contribution to the volume, Vjeran Pavlaković relates the change of the official Antifascist Struggle Day in Croatia to societal divisions between the state authorities who have embraced Croatia’s multi-ethnic Partisan legacy, the Serbian minority, which seeks the affirmation of its role in Croatia’s history and present, and far-right organizations that refute Croatia’s Partisan legacy. Lastly, Svein Mønnesland...

Getting Real on Fluctuating National Identities: Insights from Northern Cyprus

Abstract: The discursive-constructivist accounts of identity have made a significant contribution to our understanding of how national identities change. Unfortunately, they have also turned our attention away from the role that the global economic system plays in the constitution and transformation of collective identities. This article draws attention to the shortcomings of discursive-constructivist approaches by scrutinizing the identity transformations that took place within the Turkish-Cypriot community in Northern Cyprus in the last decade. It suggests that within the context of contemporary globalization and EUropeanization, the (trans-)formation of national identities cannot be fully understood without taking the functioning of the global capitalist system into account.

Transformation of Collective Identity in Palestine

This article focuses on transformation of collective identity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the ‘Nakba’ (catastrophe) of 1948. The article argues that Arab identity, which was dominant in Palestine during the Mandate period, continued to be dominant after the ‘Nakba’. The weak Palestinian identity started to strengthen continuously among all Palestinians after the June War of 1967. In the Israeli occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian identity greatly intensified and became the strongest identity in the last two to three decades. Comparison of collective identity before and after the Oslo Agreement shows that while under the Palestinian Authority (PA), Palestinian identity remained the strongest identity, Muslim identity and clan (or hamula) identity have greatly intensified.

The process of hispanizaton in early New Spain transformation of collective identities during and after the conquest of Mexico

This article examines the methods and results of cultural change during the conquest of Mexico and in the early New Spain. It is the attempt to systemize the mechanisms of Christianisation and «Hispanization» — which can be understood as a reciprocal process of the transformation of collective identities. The fact that an indigenous clergy was not created was generally misunderstood as the Nahuas’ incapability to meet to the requirements of Spanish morality and civilization (« policia »). This had effects on the political as well as on the architectural or historiagraphical spheres. But also the Spaniards and Europeans in general had to question themselves after their contact with the Nahua culture. To be «Spanish» before and after the conquest as well as to be «Spanish» in Spain and in Las Indias did not mean the same.

Individuation in Indian Society: From Collective Identity to Individual Identity

The far-reaching changes taking place in India in recent decades call for an examination of the changing relation between individual and society. This process, resulting in a transformation of collective identity into individual identity, is discussed in this paper in an historical and theoretical setting. It is implied that similar principles of change that transformed the European society couple of centuries ago are at work in the Indian society at present. So also, the theoretical insights developed in the western sociology are employed in comprehending the changes in India. Although the European and Indian societies are distinct in form, they are undergirded by similar basic principles