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Author

Shail Shankar

Other affiliations: Allahabad University
Bio: Shail Shankar is an academic researcher from Indian Institutes of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Social identity theory & Identity (social science). The author has an hindex of 4, co-authored 6 publications receiving 114 citations. Previous affiliations of Shail Shankar include Allahabad University.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This article considers how severe cold can be interpreted and experienced in relation to group members' social identity and how shared identity with other pilgrims led to forms of mutual support that made it easier to cope with the cold.
Abstract: Humans inhabit environments that are both social and physical, and in this article we investigate if and how social identity processes shape the experience and negotiation of physically demanding environmental conditions. Specifically, we consider how severe cold can be interpreted and experienced in relation to group members' social identity. Our data comprise ethnographic observation and semi-structured interviews with pilgrims attending a month-long winter Hindu religious festival that is characterized by near-freezing conditions. The analysis explores (1) how pilgrims appraised the cold and how these appraisals were shaped by their identity as pilgrims; (2) how shared identity with other pilgrims led to forms of mutual support that made it easier to cope with the cold. Our findings therefore extend theorizing on social identity processes to highlight their relevance to physical as well as social conditions.

47 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors study the aural experience of a religious festival in North India which is characterized by loud, continuous and cacophonous noise and show that loud noise is experienced as pleasant or unpleasant according to the meanings attributed to it.

40 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the social-relational changes within a crowd and how these impact collective experience positively, using interviews with participants attending the annual Magh Mela pilgrimage in India.
Abstract: Social identity research on crowds demonstrates how cognitive self-definition as a crowd member results in conformity to identity-relevant norms. Less research addresses the social-relational changes within a crowd and how these impact collective experience positively. The present study investigates these processes at a month-long mass gathering in India. Analysis of 37 interviews with participants attending the annual Magh Mela pilgrimage evidences the concept of shared identity as underpinning their understanding of this mass gathering. Moreover, a theoretically-derived thematic analysis of these interviews shows the value of the analytic concepts of recognition, validation, and solidarity in illuminating the ways in which social relations in the crowd were experienced and contributed to the experience of the event. Through exploring the multi-dimensional nature of relational connectedness in crowds we contribute to an understanding of crowd experience and group processes.

29 citations

Book
09 Jun 2015
TL;DR: A collection of papers that draw upon the Mobilities Approach to look afresh at notions of sacred where they intersect with people, objects and other things on the move can be found in this article.
Abstract: A collection of papers that draws upon the Mobilities Approach to look afresh at notions of sacred where they intersect with people, objects and other things on the move. Considerations of a wide range of spiritual meanings and practices also sheds light on the motivations and experiences associated with particular mobilities.

15 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Using interview data gathered in north India, interview data is used to explore the factors affecting the enactment of a religious identity, and the social processes that constrain or facilitate identity enactment are considered.
Abstract: Much research addresses the proposition that identifying with a group shapes individuals' behaviour. Typically, such research employs experimental or survey methods, measuring or manipulating social identification and relating this to various outcome variables. Although shedding much light on the processes involved in the identity-behaviour relationship, such research tends to overlook the various constraints that limit individuals' abilities to act in accordance with their identities. Using interview data gathered in north India, we explore the factors affecting the enactment of a religious identity. More specifically, using data gathered at a religious mass gathering, we compare and contrast participants' reports of identity enactment when they are at the event and when they are in their home villages. These two contexts differ in terms of their social organization, especially the degree to which they are marked by the presence of a shared identity. Exploring participants' accounts of such differences in social organization, we consider the social processes that constrain or facilitate identity enactment. In so doing, our analysis contributes to a richer analysis of the identity-behaviour relationship.

8 citations


Cited by
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Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: The authors argue that feelings of self-worth, self-respect, and self-esteem are possible only if we are positively recognized for who we are, and that recognition is an integral component of a satisfactory modern theory of justice, as well as the means by which both historical and contemporary political struggles can be understood and justified.
Abstract: In recent decades, struggles for recognition have increasingly dominated the political landscape.1 Recognition theorists such as Charles Taylor (1994) and Axel Honneth (1995) seek to interpret and justify these struggles through the idea that our identity is shaped, at least partly, by our relations with other people. Because our identity is shaped in this way, it is alleged that feelings of self-worth, self-respect and self-esteem are possible only if we are positively recognised for who we are. Consequently, for many political theorists, recognition is an integral component of a satisfactory modern theory of justice, as well as the means by which both historical and contemporary political struggles can be understood and justified.

1,148 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Overall, results indicate that social identifications in organizations are positively associated with health but that there is also substantial variation in effect size strength.
Abstract: We provide a meta-analytical review examining two decades of work on the relationship between individuals' social identifications and health in organizations (102 effect sizes, k = 58, N = 19,799). Results reveal a mean-weighted positive association between organizational identification and health ( r = .21, T = .14). Analysis identified a positive relationship for both workgroup ( r = .21) and organizational identification ( r = .21), and in studies using longitudinal/experimental ( r = .13) and cross-sectional designs ( r = .22). The relationship is stronger (a) for indicators of the presence of well-being ( r = .27) than absence of stress ( r = .18), (b) for psychological ( r = .23) than physical health ( r = .16), (c) to the extent that identification is shared among group members, and (d) as the proportion of female participants in a sample decreases. Overall, results indicate that social identifications in organizations are positively associated with health but that there is also substantial variation in effect size strength. We discuss implications for theory and practice and outline a roadmap for future research.

179 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a book called "Inception: A History of the World Wide Web: 2000 -2010". Author: xxx + 159 + 159 Publisher: University of Illinois Press (UILP) Prices: $17.95
Abstract: Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2000 Pages: xxx + 159 Publisher: University of Illinois Press Prices: $17.95

155 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A large-scale survey of pilgrims on the Hajj to Mecca showed that where there is identification with the crowd the negative effect of crowd density on safety is diminished or even reversed: a new finding.
Abstract: Crowd safety is a major concern for those attending and managing mass gatherings, such as the annual Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca (also called Makkah). One threat to crowd safety at such events is crowd density. However, recent research also suggests that psychological membership of crowds can have positive benefits. We tested the hypothesis that the effect of density on safety might vary depending on whether there is shared social identification in the crowd. We surveyed 1,194 pilgrims at the Holy Mosque, Mecca, during the 2012 Hajj. Analysis of the data showed that the negative effect of crowd density on reported safety was moderated by social identification with the crowd. Whereas low identifiers reported reduced safety with greater crowd density, high identifiers reported increased safety with greater crowd density. Mediation analysis suggested that a reason for these moderation effects was the perception that other crowd members were supportive. Differences in reported safety across national groups (Arab countries and Iran compared with the rest) were also explicable in terms of crowd identification and perceived support. These findings support a social identity account of crowd behavior and offer a novel perspective on crowd safety management.

128 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Participants' perceptions of a shared identity amongst crowd members had an indirect effect on their positive experience at the event through increasing participants' sense that they were able to enact their collective identity and increasing the sense of intimacy with other crowd members.
Abstract: We investigated the intensely positive emotional experiences arising from participation in a large-scale collective event. We predicted such experiences arise when those attending a collective event are (1) able to enact their valued collective identity and (2) experience close relations with other participants. In turn, we predicted both of these to be more likely when participants perceived crowd members to share a common collective identity. We investigated these predictions in a survey of pilgrims (N = 416) attending a month-long Hindu pilgrimage festival in north India. We found participants' perceptions of a shared identity amongst crowd members had an indirect effect on their positive experience at the event through (1) increasing participants' sense that they were able to enact their collective identity and (2) increasing the sense of intimacy with other crowd members. We discuss the implications of these data for how crowd emotion should be conceptualised.

85 citations