A Model of National Identity Contestation

• In Event: Behavioral Formal Models

Abstract

Who belongs in a nation? Existing political science research on group identities often assumes at least some agreement on group membership. I introduce the notion of national identity contestation: when individuals induce how others express their national identity. Drawing on core insights from social psychology, I develop a formal model of national identity contestation, in which the agents can induce other agents to express their national identity differently. I formalize the conditions in which national identity contestation occurs, and their associated national identification outcomes. The model provides an explanation to the observed shifts in patterns of national identity identification and contestation.

Author

• Tak-Huen Chau, UC Berkeley