The role of movement leaders in building intergroup solidarity for social change: A case of the electoral reform movement in Malaysia

Abstract

Leaders of social movements play a critical role in mobilizing broader society for social change. However, we know little about how movement leaders strategize to build a movement. To examine this issue, we interviewed the central leadership team of the electoral reform movement (Bersih) in Malaysia, before and after a mass protest organized by the movement. We then used thematic analysis to provide theoretically derived insights into how the leaders fostered intergroup solidarity among multiple racial groups. Specifically, they (a) expanded the movement's boundaries to include new groups within its support base, (b) shared the demands of the movement with multiple groups, and (c) highlighted leaders that were representative of different groups the movement sought to unite. These findings demonstrate how leaders attempt to craft an inclusive movement identity (i.e., who we are, what we do, who stands for us) to mobilize a diverse society for social change.

The social identity perspective of social media leadership in collective action participation

“…In general, prior research on leadership for social change and how leaders construct a group identity has focused on the rhetorical communication through top‐down process (leadership process through the leaders' rhetoric, for example, Reicher, Cassidy, Wolpert, Hopkins, & Levine, 2006; Ryan & Reicher, 2019, Selvanathan et al, 2019). The social identity approach of leadership is vital in understanding this process.…”

“…Although scholars suggest that coalition-building and inflaming the generation of emergent movement groups among individuals from different groups lead to successful movements for social change (e.g. van Dyke & Amos, 2017;Wang & Soule, 2012), there is still a gap in how social movements can be built around a protestor identity that encompasses broader groups via effective leadership (as an exception see Selvanathan, Khoo, & Lickel, 2019). Previous research using the social identity approach on leadership has shown that the intra-and intergroup features play interactive roles in the formation of a new or emergent identity in mobilisation (Haslam et al, 2011;Reicher & Hopkins, 2001).…”

Following the best of us to help them: Group member prototypicality and collective action

“…Research on collective action has largely focused on group-level factors related to the appraisal of intergroup relationships, such as perceived injustice or illegitimacy of status relations (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). Some studies have examined the influence that specific group memberslike, group leaderscan have in mobilizing their group toward seeking social equality, focusing mostly on leaders of disadvantaged groups (Hardacre & Subašić, 2019;Selvanathan, Khoo, & Lickel, 2020;Subašić et al, 2018;Taylor, Moghaddam, Gamble, & Zellerer, 1987). In the current article, we draw on selfcategorization theory (SCT; J. C. Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher, & Wetherell, 1987) to study the impact that emerging forms of leadership, in the shape of prototypical group members of advantaged groups, exert on collective action.…”

Media and Funding: A qualitative study of Malaysian Social Welfare NGOs

“…Social welfare makes up the majority of NGOs to address issues encountered by the vulnerable people, the poor and victims of natural disasters (Islam, 2015). For instance, if studies focus more on religious and human rights NGOs in Malaysia (Malik, Safarudin & Mat, 2018;Selvanathan, Khoo, & Lickel, 2019), then only a few studies focus on SWNGOs through media context (Mohamad Ashray, 2018). Nevertheless, SWNGOs play an important role in resolving the underlying issues in the Malaysian community.…”