The Structure of Symbolic Boundaries Between “Us” and “Them”

• In Event: Joint Roundtables: Social Psychology Section and Sociology of Emotions Section
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 3 - Symbolic Boundaries

Abstract

How do people draw boundaries between “us” and “them,” and why so? While extensive social scientific inquiry examines the content and consequences of “us/them” divides, far less attention has been directed toward an equally consequently feature: their underlying structure. Drawing on spectral graph theory and belief network analytic traditions, I advance a conception of “us/them” boundaries as latent, structural fault lines that emerge from relationships between group attitudes. I propose novel metrics of both boundary adherence (at the person-network level) and position (at the person-identity level). I illustrate the utility of this approach for better understanding “us/them” divides using data from the American National Election Studies (2012-2024). The findings reveal meaningful variation across the American public: while boundary adherence has fallen since 2012, it is systematically higher amongst those who hold lower social status (e.g., less educated), are part of historically advantaged groups (e.g., white), and perceive their economic situation to be in decline. Analysis of the average positions of specific identities suggest rigid social hierarchies on a national scale. By isolating the structure of symbolic boundaries between “us” and “them,” this paper offers new opportunities for sociological inquiry pertinent to culture, cognition, politics, and inequality.

Author

• Jack Gabriel Risien Wippell, The Ohio State University