From Mecca with tolerance: religion,social recategorisation and social capital |
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Authors: | Mikhail A. Alexseev Sufian N. Zhemukhov |
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Affiliation: | 1. Political Science Department, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182-4427, USAalexseev@mail.sdsu.edu;3. Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, The George Washington University, 1957 E Street NW, Suite 412, Washington, DC 20052, USA |
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Abstract: | Does participation in mass religious rituals promote intergroup conflict or does it promote intergroup tolerance? We assess these claims by examining the effects of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj) on sociopolitical views of Muslims in Russia’s North Caucasus. Participant observation during the hajj and a quasi-experimental focus group study of pilgrims and non-pilgrims produced paradoxical findings. While the hajj strengthened their ingroup pride as Muslims, the pilgrims came through as more outgroup-tolerant and prosocial than the non-pilgrims. We develop a synthetic theoretical solution: in high-identity-value, high-diversity common group settings social recategorisation and social capital become transitive – that is, inclusive views and social capital effects within an ingroup extend to outgroups. This means that intergroup conflict could be reduced by not only maximising contact across conflicting groups, but also by bringing together as many subgroups as possible within each conflicting group in settings where their common identity is positively affirmed in a non-discriminatory fashion. |
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Keywords: | Islam hajj pilgrimage Russia North Caucasus Kabardino-Balkaria tolerance identity social categorisation social capital ethnicity politics focus groups |
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