Women’s Movements, Identity Politics, and Policy Impacts

A Study of Policies on Violence against Women in the 50 United States

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6340464
AutoresLaurel Weldon (0000-0003-1927-5242, Purdue University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2006
Volumen59
Número1
Páginas111-122
Fecha de publicación2006-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPolitical Research Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1065-9129 • E-ISSN: 1938-274X
EditorialSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/106591290605900110
OpenAlexW2155915592
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas27
Referencias citadas50

Scholars of social movements and democratic political theorists have argued that “identity politics” weakens social movements and undermines their influence on public policy. I offer a theoretical argument that at least some forms of “identity politics” likely have the reverse effects. In particular, when marginalized groups organize around ascriptive characteristics or “social location,” they generate knowledge about the social group, strengthen participants’ feelings of affiliation with the movement, produce more representative movement agendas, and create the building blocks for broader coalitions. In a study of the U.S., I find that separate organization by women of color strengthens women’s movements, and indirectly improves government responsiveness both to violence against women of color in particular and to violence against women in general

Argument (complex analysis · Collective identity · Democracy · Feeling · Government (linguistics · Identity (music · Identity politics · New social movements · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public policy · Social group · Social identity theory · Social movement · Social science · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Psychology · Social Psychology