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Imagined Communities and Self-identity: An Exploratory Quantitative Analysis

School of Sociology and Social Work, University of Tasmania Timothy.Phillips{at}utas.edu.au

The proliferation of quantitative studies of national and other macro-level we-images points to a growing sociological interest in the contribution of imagined communities to self-identity. However, these studies have tended to present an oversimplified picture of this cultural phenomenon, relying on essentialist, one-dimensional and non-divisible conceptions of the social self. It is the contention of this paper that important clues for clarifying the less developed approaches to self-identity that feature in such quantitative work can be found in Benedict Anderson's landmark analysis of imagined communities. Anderson's treatment of this topic is used to sensitize a survey analysis of self-identification with large-scale geographic units among contemporary Australians. Findings from the investigation highlight a neglect in emerging quantitative research on self-attachment to imagined communities of (i) the plural sources, multi-dimensional nature and divisible character of self-identity, and (ii) the complex ways in which different layers of self-identity interlock to shape social attitudes.

Key Words: Benedict Anderson • geographic units • imagined communities • self-identity • social distance • survey research

Sociology, Vol. 36, No. 3, 597-617 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/0038038502036003006


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