John R. Eidson

German local history as metaphor and sanction

Analysis of historical narratives produced in a German community shows them to be metaphors for a range of issues touching on the general theme of local autonomy. The tendency of home town historians to invoke a medieval golden age is reminiscent of nationalist historiographic conventions, but variations in social context raise questions about the precise nature of the relationship between these two traditions. When viewed from different perspectives, home town history may appear to represent either accommodation or resistance to dominant ideologies; but it is best viewed as a variety of essentialist rhetoric, which serves to establish distinct yet communicable identities for various local groups. [historical narrative, symbolism, essentialism, local-national relations, Germany]

From Identification to Framing and Alignment: A New Approach to the Comparative Analysis of Collective Identities

We present a comprehensive framework for the comparative analysis of collective identities and corresponding processes of identification, framing, and alignment. Collective identities are defined as activated categories of likeness, distinction, and solidarity, located within any one of a number of possible frames (e.g., nationality, religion, and gender) and aligned series (e.g., national, regional, or local categories of identification). Emphasis falls on the dynamics of identification, framing, and alignment within limits that are cognitive or semantic, on one hand, and social, economic, political, or legal, on the other. Specifying the limits within which identification, framing, and alignment may vary allows us to elide sterile debates about whether collective identities are invariable or variable and to focus instead on variation in the relative frequency, typical duration, and degree of ease or difficulty of acts of identification corresponding to distinguishable types. Such dynamics are examined with reference to codeterminants of identification: situations, circumstances, and actors’ motives. In conclusion, we reflect on the qualitative and quantitative consequences of variable forms of identification in collective action. Multiple examples illustrate the utility of the framework for comparative analysis.