How Outcomes of Political Violence Affect Social and National Identities- the Case of Israel
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Ends and Means: How Outcomes of Political Violence Affect Social and National Identities- The Case of Israel von der Fakultat fur Sozialwissenschaften und Philosophie der Universitat Leipzig genehmigte D I S S E R T A T I O N zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades DOCTOR PHILOSHOPIAE (Dr. phil.) vorgelegt von Maya Hadar Goldring Geboren am 22. Februar 1985 in Haifa, Israel Gutachter: Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell Prof. Dr. Ulf Engel Tag der Verleihung: 14. May 2019 Ends and Means: How Outcomes of Political Violence Affect Social and National Identities Abstract While relevant literature considers experiencing a conflict or episodes of political violence a unitary event, and focuses on the effects of the exposure to the violence itself, I disaggregate political violence (focusing on military operations and wars) while highlighting its’ aftermath (as opposed to its’ type, duration etc.). I distinguish between different outcomes of political violence (victory, defeat, stalemate and a negotiated agreement and between successful and unsuccessful military operations) as perceived by individuals (consistent with the way they are framed by the media) and assess their effect on national and social identities. The theoretical arguments are mainly based on Social Identity theory and the concepts of “Cutting Off Reflected Failure” & “Basking In Reflected Glory”, employed by individuals when confronted with a threatened social identity. The role of humiliation and pride, in-group gilt and in-group glorification and group performance as a possible covariate are also discussed in this regard. When exploring the effect of discrepant outcomes of political violence on social and national identities, I focus on two key identity-components: National Identification (operationalized as national pride) and social identification (operationalized as inter-group cohesion and social trust between various social groups). A macro-level analysis of findings originating in two web-based experiments is complemented by a comprehensive micro-level analysis of the Israeli society, based on a unique set of data drawn from a decade of social surveys (2003-2015). The potential implications of the research extend beyond the Israeli case and include the longevity of nation state in the face of persistent political violence, susceptibility to mobilization by political entrepreneurs leading to fragment voting patterns and social discontent, potentially influencing the prospects for peace. Acknowledgements From Haifa to Tubingen, Konstanz, Bochum, Vienna and Leipzig, during this four-year journey to doctorhood, I was lucky enough to have been surrounded by remarkable individuals whose continued support and encouragement I wish to hereby acknowledge. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation to Prof. Middell for his kind supervision, constructive advice and helpful feedback. His supportive and positive approach had not only significantly contributed to the successful conclusion of this project, but also had facilitated my regaining of trust in the virtuousness of academics. I would like to sincerely thank my mentors, Dr. Dani Kranz and Dr. Gilad Ben-Nun for their moral support, honest advice and continued guidance. Without you, this dissertation would have been a lonely endeavor. I would also like to acknowledge the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich foundation (ELES) for their generosity in supporting this research, consequently enabling my further professional development. Finally, I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my family: my parents (all three of them), grandparents, sisters and partner who would, without a doubt, love me just as much, irrespective of my academic titles. 2 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Background and Motivation ................................................................................. 7 1.1.1 National Identification ............................................................................ 10 1.1.2 Social Trust ............................................................................................. 14 1.1.3 Focusing on Israel ................................................................................... 16 1.2 Prologue ............................................................................................................. 17 1.3 Contribution Scope ............................................................................................. 18 1.4 Overview of Aims and Chapters ........................................................................ 20 2. Theoretical Framework: Conflict Research, National Identification and Social Trust Part I: Conflict Research 2.1 Conflict Research ................................................................................................. 24 2.1.1 General Theory and Practices ................................................................ 25 2.1.2 Contemporary Trends and Challenges ................................................... 26 2.1.3 Looking Forward ................................................................................... 27 Part II: Belonging, Identity and the Nation 2.2 Identity Formation ................................................................................................ 28 2.3 Social Belonging and Group Identification ......................................................... 29 2.4 The Sense of Belonging, Nationhood and Statehood .......................................... 30 2.4.1 What is a Nation? ................................................................................... 30 2.4.2 National Identification ........................................................................... 32 2.4.3 Hierarchies of National Belonging ........................................................ 33 2.4.4 The Nation State .................................................................................... 34 2.4.5 Nationhood and Statehood ..................................................................... 35 2.5 Conflict and Group Identification ........................................................................ 36 2.6 Patriotic Affinity: Conceptual Outlines ............................................................. 38 2.6.1 Between Patriotism and Nationalism ..................................................... 41 2.7 Coping With Threatened Social Identity ........................................................... 42 3 2.7.1 Social Identity Theory ......................................................................... 42 2.7.2 Basking In Reflected Glory ................................................................. 45 2.7.3 Cutting Off Reflected Failure .............................................................. 46 2.7.4 Self-Embedded Social Identity ............................................................ 48 2.7.5 National Identity of Ethnic Minorities ................................................ 50 Part III: Social Trust and Cohesiveness 2.8 Social Capital and Cohesion .............................................................................. 52 2.9 Unraveling the Riddle of Social Trust ............................................................... 54 2.9.1 Threats to Social Trust and Social Cohesion ....................................... 56 3. Methodology 3.1 Macro-level Analysis ......................................................................................... 60 3.1.1 Appropriateness ..................................................................................... 60 3.1.2 A Short History of Web Experiments .................................................... 61 3.1.3 Web Experiments: Advantages and Challenges .................................... 63 3.2. Micro-level analysis ........................................................................................... 69 3.2.1 Focusing on The state of Israel and Israeli Society ............................... 69 Contemporary Israeli Media .................................................................. 72 Military Censorship ............................................................................... 75 3.2.2 Episodes of High Intensity Political Violence ....................................... 75 3.2.3 Perceived Outcomes of Political Violence ............................................ 77 3.2.4 Relevant Issues Concerning the Use of Survey Data ............................ 78 Vague Concepts .................................................................................... 78 Categorizing Identities .......................................................................... 80 3.2.5 The Israeli Democracy Index ................................................................ 82 3.2.6 Control Variables ................................................................................... 83 3.3 Framing in Communication and Their Effect on Public Opinion ...................... 84 3.3.1 The Use of Emphasis and Equivalence Framing in Shaping Public Opinion .................................................................................................. 85 3.3.2 The Effect of Frames in Shaping Individual Perceptions ...................... 87 3.3.3 Assessing a Frame’s Strength in Political Settings ................................ 88 4 4. The Ending matters: National and Social Identification Following Discrepant War Outcomes 4.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 90 4.2 Experimental Study I ..........................................................................................