Today’s postmodern consumer culture is embedded with consumption and products are now used for their symbolic properties. Possessions have become so important for us that they have become a part of our extended selves and forms of differentiation between individuals and groups of people. The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of the role of fashion brands in the identity construction of adults. The objectives of the research focused on how an individual’s identity of self is constructed with the help of fashion brands, especially in social environments, and how an individual’s social identity is formed through fashion brands and in- and out-groups. The topic is discussed while uncovering brand symbolism and relationships. Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) was used as a theoretical framework in this research. Focus group studies were chosen as a research method and total of three focus group discussions with participants aged between 19 to 32 years were held in Helsinki, Finland. The consumption of fashion brands was found to have a relevant role in the construction of an adult’s identity. Consumption of particular fashion brands was used to communicate personalities and identities, and relationships with fashion brands were found to become especially important in social situations. Fashion brands also stand central in the formation of in- and out-groups and friends were found to have the biggest influence over consumption choices. In-groups were found to form between people with interests towards the same fashion brands and unfavourable fashion brands were associated with members of out-groups. Adults were found to categorise people into groups based on the brands they wear and prevailing stereotypical mental images. Individual self-expression through fashion brands was found high, although given the concept of a salient identity, individuals were often found to conform to the expectations of the in-group. Most importantly, individuals and in-groups stated differentiation from out-groups to be a priority. / Program: Master programme in Fashion Management

Este trabalho apresenta uma reflexão baseada em pesquisa bibliográfica e etnográfica a respeito das formas de socialidade dos Chiquitano, grupo indígena da família lingüística Chiquitano que habita a região da fronteira mato-grossense com a Bolívia. Mesmo com uma expressiva população em território brasileiro, de cerca de 2.000 indivíduos, apenas recentemente esses índios foram reconhecidos pelo órgão indigenista oficial por ocasião de uma perícia realizada em suas terras. Com base em uma pesquisa bibliográfica apoiada no levantamento das fontes documentais de origens diversas sobre a longa história de contato, que remonta ao século XVI, é aqui efetuada uma análise que possibilita mapear certas características dos contatos dos Chiquitano com as populações vizinhas, ao mesmo tempo em que procura circunscrever um conjunto de denominações atribuídas a eles ao longo destes anos. A partir de uma pesquisa etnográfica de campo é efetuada uma descrição da constituição dos grupos locais denominados de Fazendinha, de Vila Nova e de Santa Luzia, em especial quanto às relações de parentesco, de casamento e de compadrio, com enfoque no modo de inserção de estrangeiros ao grupo. Do mesmo modo, o xamanismo e a escola são estudados com o objetivo de refletir sobre os espaços de abertura para o outro, integrando aspectos sociológicos e cosmológicos de um grupo ainda pouco conhecido pela Etnologia Brasileira. / This study presents a reflection based on bibliographic and ethnographic research into the forms of sociality of the Chiquitano, an indigenous group of the Chiquitano linguistic family that inhabits the border region of the Brazilian state Mato Grosso with Bolivia. Despite having a substantial population in Brazilian territory, of around 2,000 individuals, only recently were these Indians recognised by the official agency for indigenous peoples following an investigation performed on their land. Based on bibliographic research of documental sources of various origins about the long history of contact with the group, dating back to the 16th century, an analysis is carried out to enable the mapping of certain characteristics of the contacts between the Chiquitano and the neighbouring populations. At the same time the study attempts to determine a set of denominations attributed to the group throughout these years. Based on ethnographic field research a description is made of the constitution of the local groups named Fazendinha, Vila Nova and Santa Luiza, especially as regards relations of kinship, marriage and companionship, focused on the form of inserting outsiders into the group. Similarly, the shamanism and the school are studied in order to draw conclusions about the spaces of access to the other, integrating sociological and cosmological aspects of a group which remains largely unknown by Brazilian Ethnology.

This study problematizes the down play of heroic perspectives in the currently rising critical and post-heroic leadership research. It argues that compromising either the critical or the post-heroic perspectives in favour of the other would constrict or mislead our understanding of the social influence of leadership processes. This study calls for maintaining the theoretical uniqueness of both perspectives in order to enhance new understandings and broader knowledge claims. Therefore, the study adopts a reflexive-ethnographic examination of the leader-follower and group dynamics, in an International Human Rights Based Organization. The overall aim is to develop an understanding of how individuals in an International Organization like Global Peace Organization (GPO) cope with the universal scope of their organization and the diversity in their work environment. This aim is fulfilled through examining self-narratives generated by the participants in their day to day interactions. To facilitate the coherence between the two leadership perspectives in this examination, a dialectical dimension is enhanced by extending the emerging tactics of reflexivity and intertextuality to the various stages of research. The critical perspective then reveals a context-driven approach in the self-narratives where participants use their particular worldviews to interpret dilemmas and conflicts originating in their work. Conflicts between participants and their leaders also reflect power interplays based on crafting a sense of we-ness / us in self-Other encounters. However, an added perspective on interpersonal relations suggests the significance of the single factor where the less secure participants tend to mask their resistance with creative impression-management strategies. This eventually transforms their insecurities into more positive attitudes and behaviours which repositions them as informal leaders in their groups.

Social media is increasingly used for social protest, but does online participation advance the aims of social movements, or does it undermine efforts for social change? We explore this question in the present thesis by examining how the use of social media for collective action shapes, and is shaped by, the social psychological concerns of technology users. Adopting a diverse approach in terms of research questions and methodology, we examine how collective action is affected by: (1) features of the digital environment, (2) internet-enabled modes of participation, and (3) digitally-facilitated communities. Our findings demonstrate that group-level representations of the self and salient others are integral to the relationship between digital technology and collective action. Ultimately, we argue that digital technology can act as both a psychological bridge and barrier between disparate groups and issues; in this way it can both facilitate and undermine mobilisation efforts and broader aims for social change.

Conversations concerning the missional posture of 1 Peter have been dictated largely by the now (in)famous debate between David Balch’s assimilationist position over and against John Elliott’s more sectarian position. More recent work has sought to bridge the gap between Balch and Elliott with a variety of more nuanced positions such as Miroslav Volf’s “Soft Difference”. Most of the discussion revolves around the practicalities of cultural engagement and what it might mean for church members to interact with the world as “Christians” in an increasingly hostile environment. The present thesis takes a step back from the coal face of missional engagement to focus on how that mission is shaped. More particularly, I am concerned with how 1 Peter utilises the language of divine calling (καλέω) that appears in five specific instances (1:13–21; 2:4–10; 2:18–25; 3:8–17; 5:6–14), alongside central events and motifs from the Old Testament, to cultivate a narrative that forges a distinct Christian identity and mission, that has its basis in Israel’s history and the life of Christ. Our concern with narrative and cultural interaction leads us to consider the relevant Petrine texts, through the dual lenses of Social Identity and Narrative Transportation theories which reveal how various groups interact, and how narratives shape actions and beliefs respectively. I argue that through the language of calling, and with the assistance of key OT motifs, 1 Peter seeks to develop a Christian identity that might be best described as “elect sojourners”; that believers are those who are elect of God and yet rejected by the world. This identity manifests itself in a life of “resident-alien-ness”—in the world, yet no longer of the world—that consequently leads to various forms of suffering. Amid such suffering, 1 Peter calls the church to a priestly ministry—representing God to the people, and the people to God—through a life geared towards blessing, even when such a life leads to suffering. This is the life to which the Anatolian believers have been called: a life of holiness as a priestly community, committed to the gracious endurance of suffering, and of blessing those who would oppose them.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the proposition that group members use help-seeking as a strategic tool for managing and enhancing the ingroup’s image in the eyes of outgroups. The theoretical introduction outlines and assesses the history of helping-transaction research, beginning with the rich and multi-faceted work carried out by anthropologists and sociologists, before considering how social psychology has addressed this topic. The conclusion from this assessment is that the academic contribution of much of the social psychological helping-transaction research from the 1960s onwards was limited, due to its failure to address: i) the relevance of social groups, and ii) the idea that engagement in helping transactions can be motivated by desires to achieve underlying goals that relate to personal improvement or gain. Although more recent social psychological work investigated these issues, they remain under-studied. Attempting to address these neglected areas, this thesis adopts a social identity perspective, and conceptualises help-seeking as an image-management strategy. This concept is investigated in the context of a specific phenomenon with the potential to threaten the group’s image: a salient meta-stereotype. Meta-stereotypes are the stereotypes we believe to be held about our group by outgroups, and are context-dependent and often negative in valence. The prediction is thus made that group members will utilize the act of help-seeking strategically, to attempt to challenge salient negative meta-stereotypes. This is predicted to occur independently of levels of material need.This hypothesis is tested across seven experiments. Study 1 provides initial exploration of the concept, and suggests that the threat associated with help-seeking depends on how participants categorize themselves (and thus the help-giver). Studies 2 and 3 provide the first explicit manipulations of meta-stereotype salience in the thesis. Study 2 reveals that encouraging female participants to consider the idea that males perceive females as dependent leads to higher levels of perceived meta-stereotype unfairness than a purely interpersonal context, and that these perceptions of unfairness lead to reduced help-seeking from the outgroup. Study 3 strengthens this finding by shifting to an alternative identity (nationality: Scottish vs. English). It shows that, for participants who act strongly as Scots during the study, being encouraged to consider the idea that the English perceive the Scots as handout-dependent leads to less outgroup help-seeking than either an interpersonal context or an intergroup context without a salient meta-stereotype. This suggests salient meta-stereotypes have effects on help-seeking beyond those produced by a simple intergroup context. Study 4 shows these help-seeking-related effects can be obtained via a more naturalistic meta-stereotype manipulation, and also examines the relevance of the helpers’ group membership. Finally, Studies 5, 6 and 7 provide a more in-depth analysis of the key concept of strategy. Together, these last three studies show group members take heed of the contents of salient meta-stereotypes, and tailor their strategic stereotype-challenging behaviours depending on these specific contents. Moreover, these studies indicate that the nature of the meta-stereotype contents can sometimes increase participants’ help-seeking. The General Discussion summarises the thesis’ main findings and considers their contribution to the help-seeking literature and the real world.

abstract: Unlike traditional frontier studies that treat the frontier as monolithic and focus on core-periphery interactions involving colonialism and acculturation, this dissertation seeks to characterize the internal social dynamics of frontier regions using the collective social identification framework. Concentrating on the intraregional and intrasite scales makes it possible to directly evaluate the bottom-up processes involved in the formation of collective social identities within frontier zones (i.e., sociopolitical development divorced from core-centric actions). Derived from social science research aimed at understanding the development of modern nation-states and social movements, the theoretical framework implemented in this research centers on the idea that sustained collective action depends on the degree to which groups of individuals share networks of social interaction (i.e., relational identification) and recognize membership in the same social categories (i.e. categorical identification). Applying this model to the site of La Quemada, Zacatecas, Mexico, provides a methodology for assessing the potential for collective action through time and across spatial scales based on the degree of categorical commonality or the strength of relational connections among the site’s inhabitants. Dating to the Epiclassic period (600-900 CE), La Quemada was founded during the cultural florescence of the northern frontier of Mesoamerica, but the site was abandoned ca. 800-900 CE while other polities persisted. Therefore, it is hypothesized that a change in how the occupants of La Quemada identified with one another decreased the potential for collective action over time and contributed to site abandonment. Material proxies in the form of ceramic-style categories (i.e., shared styles expressing categorical affiliation) and fabric classes (i.e., shared pastes indicative of relational networks) are used to assess the temporal and spatial consistency of social identification at multiple socio-spatial scales within the site of La Quemada. The results of this research, however, find that despite fluctuations in the expression of categorical identification among La Quemada residents it was the strength of their relational ties that gave them the capacity to recover. Furthermore, the capacity for collective action was high preceding site abandonment, suggesting that a disruption in the social fabric of La Quemada did not contribute to its decline and abandonment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2018

This research is intended to provide the stewards of social media for Brigham Young University's football program with information that will allow them to make better decisions on what kind of content will maximize engagement and enhance brand loyalty among fans and consumers on Facebook. Using several variables, including the type or theme of content, post frequency, and sponsorship, content was compared against that from the University of Oregon's football program for the 2017 season. The results, found using quantitative data analysis, reveal that some variables have a significant impact on the quantity of engagement from viewers for both programs and provide valuable insights that will allow the universities to improve how and what they deliver on their Facebook pages.

Does social similarity between the auditor and a specialist induce social biases that impair the auditor's reliance on the specialist? It is important to examine potential impairments to reliance since auditors do not possess expertise in many of the areas examined during the audit. One type of specialist that is increasingly relied upon by the auditor is the IT specialist. Since firms have two approaches to the organization of IT personnel (decentralized vs. centralized) and often use professional designations as a hiring criteria for specialists, I examine two dimensions of social similarity: domain knowledge distinctiveness and spatial distance. Using a 2 × 2 experiment manipulating the IT specialist's domain knowledge distinctiveness (distinct vs. overlapping) and spatial distance (in-house office location vs. outsourcing from another office) relative to the auditor, I investigate financial auditors' reliance on IT specialists. My findings provide evidence of a boundary condition to the widely accepted social identity theory. Specifically, when specialists (IT specialists in this study) are outsourced, marginally less reliance is placed on specialists possessing overlapping (shared) domain knowledge relative to distinct domain knowledge. Additionally, I find evidence of a "consultant effect" in which greater auditor reliance is placed on IT specialists from other offices when the IT specialist possesses distinct domain knowledge relative to the financial auditor. Findings suggest that a broader theory of social similarity in which dimensions of social similarity can interact to produce social biases appears to be more descriptive of real-world social complexities than social identity theory.

The United States has a long-standing history of appropriating Indigenous representations for the use of mascots in athletics. Despite protest by Indigenous groups against this practice, professional athletics teams continue to appropriate Indigenous representations as mascots. The National Congress of American Indians produced a public service announcement (PSA), Proud to Be (PTB), to elicit support from the general public for changing the name/mascot Redskins. The purpose of the proposed research is to experimentally examine the effects that PTB has on support among Non-Indigenous participants, as function of political alignment. We considered two competing outcomes: The Counterproductive Hypothesis predicts the more conservative participants are, the less supportive they will be of changing the Redskin name/mascot, especially after watching the PTB rather than two control PSAs (directed at ending the word retard or reducing texting and driving). We also expect that the more conservative participants are, the less supportive they will be of either “name change” campaign, especially the one that corresponds with the PSA they view. Alternately, The Effective Hypothesis predicts if the PSA induces empathy among viewers, it could elicit support independent of political perspective. That is, participants will be supportive of changing the Redskin name/mascot after watching PTB rather than either control PSA. This effect will occur through the effects of PTB on increased empathy (specific to the target group). Preliminary analyses provide support for the Effective Hypothesis: Regardless of political perspective, participants experienced increased empathy for Indigenous People after viewing PTB, which led to increased support for the message promoted by Proud to Be.