Group identity is constructed by designating outsiders as others

Evidence

The fact that the word was invented by outsiders does not imply that those who identified with it could nor adopt it as their own. Identities are invariably reinforced by reference to outsiders, and no social or psychological law decrees that insiders should necessarily provide the linguistic tool kit with which a self-conscious identity can be constructed. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 356 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Joint creative production generates collective identity beyond external-threat response — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 1225; Religious group solidarity organizes others into outgroups by identity — Deborah L. Hall and David C. Matz and Wendy Wood, Why Don’t We Practice What We Preach? A…, 77; German group identity was defined by being least like outgroups — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide: The Social…, 913 (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• Identity is constructed through opposition to a continuously reinterpreted other #expands (0.93)
• Group identities are invariably reinforced by reference to outsiders #corroborates (0.92) — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 356
• Identities are reinforced by outsider-given labels #complicates (0.75)