Social identities, societal change and mental borders

• Authors: Magda Petrjánošová , Barbara Lášticová
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

In this paper we investigate the relations between cross-border mobility, national categorization and intergroup relations in a changing Europe. It focuses on young adults (N=34) commuting on a regular basis between the city of Bratislava (the capital of Slovakia) and the city of Vienna (the capital of Austria). Our study draws on the social identity perspective, however, we consider social identity as a discourse of (not) belonging, similarity and difference, which is continually (re)negotiated within a given social context. Semi-structured qualitative interviews, focus groups and drawings of the border area were used as research instruments. We have identified different types of experience in various subgroups of participants framed by (1) age at the time of arrival in Austria; (2) different mobility motivations and goals; (3) interaction setting; (4) the political and economic situation in Slovakia at the time of arrival to Austria linked to perceived status differences. On the individual level, the motivation to integrate or its lack seems to be a crucial element in the ingroup construction and perception of intergroup relations.

Keywords

EN

social identity; cross-border mobility; intergroup relations; mental borders; commuters; young adults

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Human Affairs
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 196-212

Dates

published

2011-06-01

online

2011-06-16

Contributors

author

Magda Petrjánošová

• Slovak Academy of Sciences

author

Barbara Lášticová

• Slovak Academy of Sciences

References

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/s13374-011-0020-x