Project Title: The Formation and Transcendence of Intergroup Boundaries through Art
Project Description: The study of identity is a central question in social psychology. Identity can arise from self-categorization into different social groups, and can also be derived from people's group memberships. To bridge conversations about cognitive categorization, interpersonal interactions, and their aggregation into group-level construction of collective identity, this project takes a novel approach to identity formation by studying visual representations in art objects. Embodying both cultural meaning and personal expression, art objects can serve as rich repositories of stylistic and visual-symbolic information. This study is guided by two primary research questions: First, how are social group boundaries established and reinforced? Second, how do individuality and the recognition of commonalities play a role in transcending these social boundaries? To address the first question, this project will examine the symbolic representations and visual associations of ingroup and outgroup members in art. Combining historical archival research with network analysis, the project aims to map the visual and thematic co-occurrences of social group representations in art objects in order to trace the evolution of symbolic social boundaries. For the second question, the project will extend the symbol network to analyze nuances of stylistic integration in intergroup contact. These visual analyses will be complemented by surveys of outgroup members' perceptions of artworks. These surveys will explore whether perceived individuality or shared aesthetic appreciation can reduce the salience of specific group boundaries, and whether such resonance can extend from the cognitive to the interpersonal and social levels. This project may provide further insight into how identities are formed and negotiated in social contexts and how art can be used as a tool to practice intergroup communication.
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