When a Sense of “We” Is Lost: Investigating the Consequences of a Lost Common Identity Among Druze in Israel

Abstract

Research shows that inclusive identities are effective for improving intergroup relations. Little work, however, asked what happens once a sense of common identity is formed, but then lost. Given increasing diversity and integration attempts that might fail, this question is realistic and timely. We studied a religious minority in Israel, Arab-Druze ( N = 178), constituting 1.6% of the population. Druze have always had strong common ties with the Jewish majority, particularly younger Druze who serve in the Israeli army. We surveyed Druze in the aftermath of the nationality bill, which was considered by many to be highly exclusionary toward non-Jews. Drawing on research on minority exclusion, we expected that for younger Druze, a sense of common identity loss will predict radical forms of action. This was supported by our cross-sectional data and remained stable after controlling for more classic predictors of violent and nonviolent action.

Beyond normative and non-normative: A systematic review on predictors of confrontational collective action

“…Second, although perceived injustice and deprivation (and collective anger resulting from these) are common antecedents for both confrontational and non-confrontational collective actions, the sample and researched context arise as main differences in the literature. While non-confrontational collective action research examines daily life injustice and deprivation experiences of diverse groups, confrontational collective action research mostly focuses on the role of injustice in historically oppressed groups' collective action in the context of protracted conflicts such as Spain and Israel (e.g., Hasan-Aslih et al, 2019;Lobato et al, 2020;Saguy et al, 2020;Shuman et al, 2016). Relatedly, collective anger emerges as one of the most important antecedents of both confrontational and non-confrontational collective actions (Obaidi et al, 2018;Petkanopoulou et al, 2022;Wohl et al, 2014), whereas contempt and hatred are seen as emotional triggers of mostly confrontational collective actions (e.g., Becker, Tausch, & Wagner, 2011;Hasan-Aslih et al, 2019;Morales et al, 2020;Tausch et al, 2011).…”

“…Last, even though the majority of research provides more conclusive evidence on the positive relationship between efficacy and confrontational collective action (e.g., Drury et al, 2020Drury et al, , 2022Medel et al, 2022;Saguy et al, 2020;Thomas et al, 2019), there are some contradictory results which stems from the measurement and conceptualization of the efficacy (for discussion see Hamann et al, 2023). Accordingly, research provides comparatively robust evidence for the positive relationship between group efficacy and confrontational collective action, more studies are needed for the relationship between the perceived efficacy of particular protest tactics and confrontational collective action (see Lizzio-Wilson et al, 2022;Saab et al, 2016).…”

Effects of power asymmetry on the sustained impact of a contact-based intervention on perceptions of relations between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

“…In a similar vein, researchers showed that in some cases, the disadvantaged group member can experience what they describe as the “loss of common identity,” which is described as a loss of a sense of “we” in a group. Although the experience of a common identity can lead to improved intergroup relations, the loss of it can in turn lead to much less favourable results (Saguy et al, 2020). Although the formulation of a shared identity is not a declared goal of the confrontational contact intervention model that we employed (Maoz, 2011), it is possible to argue that the contact intervention did contribute to a sense of a common identity, as participants are part of an inclusive category.…”

Beyond normative and non‐normative: A systematic review on predictors of confrontational collective action

“…However, people's entity theories about groups (i.e., 'groups cannot change'), as a proxy of beliefs on fixed group characteristics, predicted confrontational collective action (e.g., 'blocking roads, clashing with police') through hatred, but only for participants who were highly identified with the group. Saguy et al (2020) found that group efficacy predicted willingness to participate in both non-confrontational and confrontational collective actions, only if confrontational collective action did not include the use of violence (e.g., 'blocking roads'). However, group efficacy did not predict violent confrontational action (e.g., 'throwing stones') among Arab-Druze in Israel.…”

“…Wohl et al (2014) showed that stronger politicized collective identity is associated with confrontational collective action intention (e.g., 'work with an extremist group') among Somali and Tamil Canadians. Last, Saguy et al (2020) found that experiencing common identity loss among Arab Druze in Israel predicted confrontational collective action (e.g., 'throwing stones, confrontation with police').…”