To be is to do is to be: Collective identity and action

At first glance the title “To be is to do is to be” may seem somewhat cryptic, but I hope that, as the chapter unfolds, it will become clear that it expresses the common thread that runs through and connects the different parts of the chapter. The subtitle “Collective identity and action” also deserves a few words of explanation and specification. Just as collective identity derived from one’s group membership(s) goes beyond less inclusive selfinterpretation or self-definition as a unique or independent single individual, the actions dealt with in this chapter pursue goals or projects that transcend people’s narrow individual interests. In other words, I examine in this chapter the relationship between collective identity derived from membership in social groups and action that serves the collective or common interest of one’s ingroup.