Stevenson_2015.pdf (130.95 kB)
‘Something That Unites Us All’: Understandings of St. Patrick's Day Parades as Representing the Irish National Group
journal contribution
posted on 2023-07-26, 13:46 authored by Aisling T. O'Donnell, Orla T. Muldoon, Danielle L. Blaylock, Clifford Stevenson, Dominic Bryan, Stephen D. Reicher, Samuel PehrsonThe present study investigates how attendees at national celebratory crowd events – specifically St. Patrick’s Day parades – understand the role of such events in representing and uniting the national community. We conducted semi-structured interviews with people who attended St. Patrick’s Day parades in either Dublin or Belfast. In year 1, full-length interviews were conducted before and after the events (N=17), and in years 1 and 2, shorter interviews were conducted during the events (year 1 N=170; year 2 N=142). Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis, allowing the identification of three broad themes. Participants reported that (a) the events extend the boundary of the national group, using participation to define who counts as Irish; (b) the events strategically represent the nature of the national group, maximising positive images and managing stereotypical representations (c) symbolism serves to unify the group but can also disrupt already fragile unity, and so must be managed. Overall, this points to a strategic identity dimension to these crowd events. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research in terms of the role of large-scale celebratory events in the strategic representation of everyday social identities.
History
Refereed
- Yes
Volume
26Issue number
1Page range
61-74Publication title
Journal of Community & Applied Social PsychologyISSN
1099-1298External DOI
Publisher
WileyFile version
- Published version
Language
- eng
Official URL
Legacy posted date
2016-05-05Legacy creation date
2019-05-17Legacy Faculty/School/Department
ARCHIVED Faculty of Science & Technology (until September 2018)Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedLicence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC