Antagonism is an ever-present possibility inherent to collective identity formation

Evidence

Undersrood in that way, the constirutive outside allows us to tackle the condidons of emergence of an antagonism. This arises when this uslthem relation, which until then was only perceived as simple difference, began to be seen as one between friend and enemy. From that moment on, it becomes the locus of an antagonism, that is, it becomes political (in Schmitt’s sense of the term). If collective identities can only be established on the mode of an us/them. it is clear that, under certain conditions, they can always become transformed into antagonistic relations. Antagonism, then. can never be eliminated and it constitutes an ever-present possibility in politics. — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 65

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the mechanism by which simple us/them difference becomes political antagonism — the friend/enemy threshold.
• XREF: connects to: Rising uncertainty across identity boundaries amplifies and sharpens collective violence — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 775; Antagonism can manifest as agonism between friendly enemies sharing symbolic space — Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox, 67; Identity antagonism emerges specifically when an exclusive subgroup meets an activated inclusion need. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 721 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Group identity formation requires the existence of enemies to define the self against #corroborates (0.88) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 33
• Communities form identity relationally only through encounter with an other #expands (0.86) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 2678
• Identity antagonism emerges specifically when an exclusive subgroup meets an activated inclusion need. #qualifies (0.82) — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 721
• Collective violence nearly always activates a we-they boundary from among multiple available identities #exemplifies (0.80) — Charles Tilly, Regimes and Repertoires, 769
• Group identity processes operate autonomously from objective intergroup conflict #complicates (0.78) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2674
• Social identity theory reframed intergroup conflict as arising from categorization and comparison #expands (0.76) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2622
• Dominant ideology recruits the dominated by neutralizing rival ideologies’ antagonism #exemplifies (0.74)
• Ingroup-outgroup pairing, not either alone, drives identity shifts #qualifies (0.72) — Brandon Randolph-Seng, Darcy A. Reich, and Kenneth G. DeMarree, On the Nonconscious Antecedents of…, 50