Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Multi-Level Study of Symbolic Boundaries towards Muslims, 2001-2007

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SES-0927031Michele LamontChristopher BailHarvard UniversityWhat makes the symbolic boundaries groups use to distinguish "us" from "them" rigid or permeable? This dissertation explains the evolution of symbolic boundaries towards Muslims between 2000 and 2007 as the product of shifting relationships between political elites, social movements, and ordinary people that enable "symbolic boundary entrepreneurship." A multi-level "process" model is constructed to map changing relationships between actors at different levels of analysis including, 1) comparative analysis of the policy process in the United States and United Kingdom based on archival analysis and in-depth interviews with policy makers; 2) network analysis of press-releases about Muslims made by American social movements; and 3) longitudinal interviews with ordinary Americans. The intellectual contribution of this dissertation is to synthesize research on symbolic boundaries that has been compartmentalized by level of analysis. While a rich comparative literature asks how citizenship policy shape symbolic boundaries at the macro level, for example, it is scarcely connected with micro-level studies that reveal how official distinctions are adapted to the requirements of everyday life. Neither macro nor micro level studies of symbolic boundaries have been synchronized with meso-level research on social movements, who routinely challenge the symbolic boundaries promoted by states as well as those used in everyday interaction. As a result, shifting relationships between actors at different levels of analysis that create opportunities for symbolic boundary change remain hidden from scholarly view. Broader ImpactIn recent years, Muslims shifted from an ?invisible minority? to the center of major policy debates. The broader impacts of the study therefore include a better understanding of the role of collective identity in the policy process and new insight about the mechanisms of prejudice and discrimination. By uncovering the relationship between these two issues, this dissertation builds bridges between cultural sociology and political science that will hopeful be used by academics and policy makers alike.