Overlapping Spheres: Identity Creation in a Women-Only Nonprofit Organization

• In Event: Identity and Identification in Groups, Organizations, and Professions

Abstract

Through a qualitative study of a women-only, volunteer-run nonprofit organization, this paper explores the intersection between counterpublic theory and social identity theory. In particular, this papers seeks to understand how the development of a positive ingroup identity helps to form and shape a counterpublic as embodied through a grassroots organization. By understanding counterpublic theory through intergroup communication theories, greater depth can be added to understanding identity creation and how members of a counterpublic shape and understand that identity within a group, and what functions of social identity are salient. Practical implications are also discussed for thinking about how organizational structure can influence member involvement and identity, particularly for a women’s organization.

Authors

• Stephanie Madden, University of Maryland

• Claire E Tills, University of Maryland, College Park