A Three-Layered Legitimacy: Collective Memory among Religious Communities

• In Event: Advancing Legitimacy Theory VI

Abstract

The classic legitimacy literature focuses on interactions between the public and the police and their interpretations. Taking Tyler’s “procedural justice” into account, as well as Tankebe’s dialogical approach, this study suggests that there might be a third aspect under which police legitimacy is shaped and processed. The third angle touches on community characteristics, "collective memories”, that underlie and affect perceptions among the police and the community, with or without an interaction. As such, “collective memory” serves as a powerful mechanism to promote or discourage trust and cooperation with the police. Drawing from a study on a religious minority, the Israeli Haredim, I would argue that legitimacy interplays with modernization forces, and that “collective memory” takes an active role in this relationship.

Author

• Dikla Yogev, University of Toronto