kata ta biblia

a blog exploring Christian origins, biblical studies, social/cultural history, method, education and the journey through academia

Social Identity Theory: A Bibliography in Progress

Some theories from various social scientific disciplines make a singular appearance in our field, while others have a bit of staying power. Social Identity Theory (SIT)–or, as it has been called, the “social identity perspective” or the “social identity approach”–appears to fall in that latter category. The concepts are not entirely new (e.g., boundary markers between insiders and outsiders), nor even is the term “social identity” itself (see E.A. Judge, “The Social Identity of the First Christians” in 1980), but SIT relates data that otherwise wouldn’t often be considered together (e.g., the demarcation of group boundaries and “ethics”).

The approach is borrowed from social psychologists Henri Tajfel, John Turner, and those who have followed them. The literature within social psychology itself is vast and, at least to this biblicist, intimidating. The literature using the theory in biblical studies is much shorter . . . for now. Ben Byerly has a bibliography that he calls “Social Identity in the Bible,” but it is more expansive in its understanding of “social identity” (which isn’t a bad thing). In many of those works, you will not find any engagement with this particular social psychological approach. Since I’m currently trying to get a handle on this approach, I thought I would offer a more restrictive bibliography covering only those works explicitly applying SIT to biblical studies, some to a greater extent than others. This is not because I think SIT is the only good approach to discussing group identity in biblical studies or ancient history, but because I need to take it just one theory at a time for my own sanity.

As it stands now, I count a little over 40 books or articles in this category. As you can see, though, it’s heating up. I have found only one author in the 20th century: Esler, who claims to have inaugurated the theory in New Testament interpretation (See Galatians, p. 41 – I have found no evidence to the contrary). Around two-thirds of these sources have been published since 2007 alone!

It also appears that the members of the biblical studies researchers at the University of Helsinki (including Petri Luomanen, Raimo Hakola, Jutta Jokiranta, and Risto Uro) are in a competition for the most publications discussing identity in biblical studies (Uro is not on this list, but has related publications). Jutta Jokiranta seems to be the first person applying SIT to the DSS, while I believe the South African Jan Bosman is the first (and only?) scholar to apply the approach to the Hebrew Bible (Louis Jonker picks up on Bosman’s dissertation work as helpful, but doesn’t fully engage the theory himself).

Three of the entries are fellow bibliobloggers (Philip Harland, Brian Tucker, and Coleman Baker) two of whom are in the process of tidying things up on their dissertations for publication with Pickwick (an imprint of Wipf and Stock). Wipf and Stock seems to be picking up on the trend, as they also published Matthew Marohl’s dissertation listed below.

I am posting this list in hopes that it might be helpful to someone else, but also in hopes that others may help me fill in any gaps that I may have. If you notice any missing items, or know of forthcoming items that should be included, please let me know!

By the way, in addition to producing his own work, Brian Tucker is like a book review factory on identity issues–and a good one at that! See his blog for his coverage of a great many books dealing with identity and go looking for his various review essays as well.

And without further adieu, the bibliography (avec links):

Asano, Atsuhiro. Community—Identity Construction in Galatians: Exegetical, Social-Anthropological, and Socio-Historical Studies. JSNT 285. London: T & T Clark International, 2005.

Baker, Coleman A. Identity, Memory, and Narrative in Early Christianity: Peter, Paul, and Recategorization in the Acts of the Apostles. Eugene, Ore.: Pickwick, 2011. [See the dissertation version of this on ProQuest.] [Updated]

Bosman, Jan. Social Identity in Nahum: A Theological-Ethical Inquiry. Biblical Intersections 1. Piscataway, N.J: Georgias, 2009. [Link to the D.Th. thesis version of the work.]

Brawley, Robert L. “Social Identity and the Aim of Accomplished Life in Acts 2.” Pages 16-33 in Acts and Ethics. Edited by Thomas E. Phillips. New Testament Monographs 9. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2005.

_____. “From Reflex to Reaction? Identity in Philippians 2.6-11 and Its Context.” Pages 128-46 in Reading Paul in Context: Explorations in Identity Formation: Essays in Honour of William S. Campbell. Edited by Kathy Ehrensperger and J. Brian Tucker. LNTS, 428. London : T&T Clark, (forthcoming) 2010.

Byrskog, Samuel. “Ephesians 4:1-16 – Paraenesis and Identity Formation.” Pages 109-138 in Ethik als angewandte Ekklesiologie: Der Brief an die Epheser. Edited by Michael Wolter. MRB 17; Roma: Benedictina, 2005.

Cobb, L. Stephanie. Dying to Be Men: Gender and Language in Early Christian Martyr Texts. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.

Esler, Philip Francis. “Group Boundaries and Intergroup Conflict in Galatians : A New Reading of Galatians 5:13-6:10.” Pages 215-240 in Ethnicity and the Bible. Edited by Mark G. Brett. Leiden: Brill, 1996.

_____. Galatians. London: Routledge, 1998.

_____.“Jesus and the Reduction of Intergroup Conflict: The Parable of the Good Samaritan in the Light of Social Identity Theory.” 8.4 (2000): 325-357.

_____. “‘Keeping it in the Family’: Culture, Kinship and Identity in 1 Thessalonians and Galatians.” Pages 145–184 in Families and Family Relations as Represented in Early Judaisms and Early Christianities. Edited by Jan Willem van Henten and Athalya Brenner. Leiden: Deo, 2000. [See Jan Willem van Henten's response in the same book: "The Family is Not All That Matters: A Response to Philip Esler."]

_____. “Social identity, the virtues, and the good life: a new approach to Romans 12:1-15:13.” Biblical Theology Bulletin 33.2 (2003): 51-63.

_____. Conflict and Identity in Romans: The Social Setting of Paul’s Letter. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.

_____. New Testament Theology: Communion and Community. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005.

_____. “‘Remember my Fetters’: Memorialisation of Paul’s Imprisonment.” Pages 231-258 in Explaining Christian Origins and Early Judaism. Edited by Petri Luomanen, Ilkka Pyysiäinen, and Risto Uro. Biblical Interpretation Series 89. Leiden: Brill, 2007. [Google Books link starts on the second page of the article because the first page is missing in the preview.]

Esler, Philip Francis, and Ronald A. Piper. Lazarus, Mary and Martha: Social-Scientific Approaches to the Gospel of John. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2006.

Faulkner, Anne. “Jewish Identity and the Jerusalem Conference: Social Identity and Self–categorization in the Early Church Communities.” eSharp 1 (2005): 1-19.

_____. “The Emergence of Gentile Leadership and the Jerusalem Conference: A Socio-Psychological Approach to the Group Dynamics of the Participation of Gentile Believers in the Early Church.” Ph.D. Thesis, University of Durham, 2009.

Finitsis, Antonio. “The Other in Haggai and Zechariah 1-8.” Pages 116-131 in The “Other” in Second Temple Judaism : Essays in Honor of John J. Collins. Edited by Daniel C. Harlow, Karina Martin Hogan, Matthew Goff,  and Joel S. Kaminsky. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2011. [New Entry]

Guijarro, Santiago. “Cultural Memory and Group Identity in Q.” Biblical Theology Bulletin 37.3 (2007): 90-100.

Harland, Philip. Dynamics of Identity in the World of the Early Christians. London: T&T Clark, 2009.

Hakola, Raimo. “Social Identities and Group Phenomena in Second Temple Judaism.” Pages 259-276 in Explaining Christian Origins and Early Judaism: Contributions from Cognitive and Social Science. Edited by Petri Luomanen, Ilkka Pyysiäinen, and Risto Uro. Biblical Interpretation Series 89. Leiden: Brill, 2007. [The first several pages are missing from the Google Books preview.]

_____. “Social Identity and a Stereotype in the Making: The Pharisees as Hypocrites in Matt 23.” Pages 123–39 in Identity Formation in the New Testament edited by Bengt Holmberg and Mikael Winninge. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2008.

_____. “The Burden of Ambiguity: Nicodemus and the Social Identity of the Johannine Christians.” New Testament Studies 55 (2009): 438-55.

Horrell, David. “‘Becoming Christian’: Solidifying Christian Identity and Content.” Pages 309-335 in Handbook of Early Christianity: Social Science Approaches. Edited by Anthony J. Blasi, Jean Duhaime, and Paul-Andre Turcotte. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira, 2002. [See also this version online.]

_____. “The Label Christianos: 1 Pet 4.16 and the Formation of Christian Identity.” Journal of Biblical Literature 126 (2007): 361–81. [New Entry]

Jokiranta, Jutta. “Identity on a Continuum: Constructing and Expressing Sectarian Social Identity in Qumran Serakhim and Pesharim.” Ph.D. diss., University of Helsinki, 2005. Forthcoming in STDJ; Leiden: Brill.

_____. “Pesharim: A Mirror of Self-Understanding.” Pages 23–34 in Reading the Present in the Qumran Library: The Perception of the Contemporary by Means of Scriptural Interpretations. Edited by Kristin De Troyer and Armin Lange. Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005. [Only mentions SIT somewhat generally.]

_____.“The Prototypical Teacher in the Qumran Pesharim: A Social-Identity Approach.” Pages 254-66 in Ancient Israel: The Old Testament in its Social Context. Edited by Philip Francis Esler. Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg Fortress, 2006. [Essay is included in her dissertation]

_____. “Social Identity in the Qumran Movement: The Case of the Penal Code.” Pages 277-298 in Explaining Christian Origins and Early Judaism. Edited by Petri Luomanen, Ilkka Pyysiäinen, and Risto Uro. Biblical Interpretation Series 89. Leiden: Brill, 2007.

_____. “Social Identity Approach: Identity-Constructing Elements in the Psalms Pesher.” Pages 85-109 in Defining Identities: We, You, and the Other in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Proceedings of the Fifth Meeting of the IOQS in Groningen. Edited by Florentino Garcia Martinez and Mladen Popović. STDJ 70. Leiden: Brill, 2008. [Essay is included in her dissertation - first page unavailable on Google Books preview.]

Kazen, Thomas. “Son of Man and Early Christian Identity Formation.” Pages 97-122 in Identity Formation in the New Testament edited by Bengt Holmberg and Mikael Winninge. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2008.

Keay, Robert D. “Paul the Spiritual Guide: A Social Identity Perspective on Paul’s Apostolic Self-Identity.” Ph.D. Thesis, University of St. Andrews, 2004. [See his summary of the thesis in Tyndale Bulletin.]

Kuecker, Aaron J. “The Spirit and the ‘Other’: Social Identity, Ethnicity and Intergroup Reconciliation in Luke-Acts.” Ph.D. thesis, University of St. Andrews, 2008.

_____. “The Spirit and the ‘Other’, Satan and the ‘Self’: Economic Ethics as a Consequence of Identity Transformation in Luke-Acts.” Pages 81-103 in Engaging Economics: New Testament Scenarios and Early Christian Reception. Edited by Bruce W. Longenecker and Kelly D. Liebengood. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009.

Lamoreaux, Jason T. “Social Identity, Boundary Breaking, and Ritual: Saul’s Recruitment on the Road to Damascus.” BTB 38.3 (2008): 122-34.

Lieu, Judith. Christian Identity in the Jewish and Graeco-Roman World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Luomanen, Petri. “The Sociology of Knowledge, the Social Identity Approach and the Cognitive Science of Religion.” Pages 199-229 in Explaining Christian Origins and Early Judaism: Contributions from Cognitive and Social Science. Edited by Petri Luomanen, Ilkka Pyysiäinen, and Risto Uro. Biblical Interpretation Series 89. Leiden: Brill, 2007.

May, Alistair Scott. The Body for the Lord: Sex and Identity in 1 Corinthians 5-7. JSNT 278. London ; New York: T & T Clark International, 2004.

Marohl, Matthew J. Faithfulness and the Purpose of Hebrews: A Social Identity Approach. Princeton Theological Monograph Series. Eugene: Pickwick Publications, 2008. [He is explicitly following Esler as an example “of the appropriate and effective use of social identity theory in biblical interpretations” (35). Esler was also his doctoral advisor.]

Roitto, Rikard. “Behaving Like a Christ-Believer, as a Household Member or as Both?: A Cognitive Perspective on Identity and Behavior Norms in the Early Christ-Movement.” Pages 93-114 in Exploring Early Christian Identity. Edited by Bengt Holmberg. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008.

Shkul, Minna. Reading Ephesians: Exploring Social Entrepreneurship in the Text. LNTS 408. London: T&T Clark, 2009.

Tellbe, Mikael. “The Prototypical Christ-Believer: Early Christian Identity Formation in Ephesus.” Pages 115-38 in Exploring Early Christian Identity. Edited by Bengt Holmberg. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2008. [If you have a better link for Tellbe, please let me know. I'm not adept at maneuvering Swedish websites!]

_____. Christ-Believers in Ephesus: A Textual Analysis of Early Christian Identity Formation in a Local Perspective. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2009.

Tucker, J. Brian. ‘You Belong to Christ’ Paul and the Formation of Social Identity in 1 Cor 1–4. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, (Forthcoming) 2010.

_____. “Baths, Baptism, and Patronage: The Continuing Role of Roman Social Identity in Corinth.” Pages 173-88 in Reading Paul in Context: Explorations in Identity Formation: Essays in Honour of William S. Campbell. Edited by Kathy Ehrensperger and J. Brian Tucker. LNTS, 428. London : T&T Clark, (forthcoming) 2010.

Ukwuegbu, Bernard O. “Paraenesis, Identity-Defining Norms, or Both? Galatians 5:13-6:10 in the Light of Social Identity Theory.” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 70.3 (2008): 538-559.

Vaccarella, Kevin M. “Shaping Christian Identity: The False Scripture Argument in Early Christian Literature.” Ph.D. diss., Florida State University, 2007.

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16 Comments by Patrick George McCullough  /  August 18, 2010  /  Posted in: biblical studies, bibliographies, identity formation, social identity theory, social-scientific research
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  • http://politicaljesus.com/ Rod

    Given the relationship, especially that Coleman has demonstrated, between narrative criticism and social identity theory in biblical studies, I thought that this quote emailed from a friend was relevant:

    “from Sugirtharajah, R. S. Postcolonial Reconfigurations : An Alternative Way of Reading the Bible and Doing Theology. London: SCM Press, 2003. p. 165.

    Moreover, the dominance of liberation theology has been instrumental in causing the editing out of some of hte earlier Third World attempts at theologizing. Since liberation theology is applauded as the coming of age of the ‘younger churches’, the tendency has been to overlook their long tradition of theological discourse. I have in mind some of the efforts of Indian theologians during the colonial days. I am sure there are comparable examples in other countries as well. For instance, well before Albert Schweitzer embarked on his celebrated search for the historical Jesus, Raja Rammohun Roy was engaged in such a task although he did not identify his investigation in those terms. In his Precepts of Jesus: THe Guide to Peace and Happiness (1820), employing his own version of the narrative criticism which is currently in vogue in biblical scholarship, he was indeed searching for the historical Jesus. “

  • http://patmccullough.com/ Patrick George McCullough

    Thanks, Rod. Hmmm. Let’s pretend I’m feeling a bit denser than usual today. What’s the connection to SIT? Are you saying that SIT is dressing up what others have said long ago in just fancy “younger” language?

  • David

    I’m the one who sent rod the quote and that is totally my point. It should at least be noted in a footnote that otter scholars around the world are engaged in sit as well. Also it is a classic work and I see traces of what we do now with SIT way back in this work. I see it being like what the desert fathers were doing with aphophatic theology well before negative theology came on the scene.

    Sorry to ask rod to post for me but WordPress is still being mean to me today.

  • http://patmccullough.com/ Patrick George McCullough

    Hi David, Thanks for the comment! I am more than happy to discover any authors anywhere that are working with issues of social identity, and I do hope to trace the study of boundary markers as far back as I can take it. The purpose for this particular list, though, is–as I mentioned–more restrictive. This list is only for those works that are engaging in the the social psychological approach known as Social Identity Theory in their work on biblical (and non-canonical early Jewish and Christian) texts.

    It is not a commentary that this is the best way of doing identity studies or that similar themes hadn’t been raised in the past or even outside of the academic ivory tower. This is simply the approach I am studying at the moment and I would like to share the hard bibliographic work I’ve put into it. I tried to indicate that in my intro to the bibliography, but I probably could have emphasized it better.

  • http://earliestchristianity.wordpress.com/ Tim

    I read a little on this when researching my dissertation, though my topic is not focused on it. You might want to find some works by Claudia Setzer, who uses social-identity theory to examine specific questions related to the formation of early Christianity. For example, her book Resurrection of the Body in Early Judaism and Early Christianity: Doctrine, Community, and Self-Definition covers the role of beliefs about resurrection in forming the identity of early Christians and their Jewish contemporaries. She has another book that would also be useful: Jewish Responses to Early Christians. And I know she has articles on other related things.

    Stephen G. Wilson has done work in this area, and there was also an edited volume in honor of him that has related essays.

    Social memory is a type of sub-set of social-identity theory, and people like Tom Thatcher, Alan Kirk, April DeConick have written extensively on the role of social memory in the development of early Christian texts, beliefs, and praxis. It might be worth checking out some of their work, too.

  • http://patmccullough.com/ Patrick George McCullough

    Hi Tim, Thanks so much for the tips. Taking a look at Setzer’s work, it appears that she has done related themes, but hasn’t explicitly engaged the relevant social theorists for Social Identity Theory. She doesn’t mention Tajfel, Turner, Jenkins, etc. In that book, she doesn’t even appear to use the phrase “social identity.” The same appears to be true for Stephen G. Wilson, whose work I really appreciate. They definitely go on to my much larger bibliography of sources related generally to issues of identity. This particular list has a very narrow focus, which I personally find more helpful than a huge list full of very generally related works. (I am creating an impermeable boundary around my bibliography.)

    Regarding social (or collective) memory, I’d have to refer again to my limited focus here. Social memory is very much relatable, though I’d be hesitant to call it a “subset” of SIT. I don’t know the theory well enough. I believe they’re both the the social psychological realm, but I’m not sure that one is necessarily the child of the other. Thanks, though. The concepts are definitely on my radar, just not the focus at the moment — though, Esler interestingly combines collective memory and SIT together in his article, “Remember My Fetters,” listed above.

  • http://ntinterpretation.wordpress.com/ David Stark

    Might Esler’s First Christians and Their Social Worlds also be worth adding to the list?

  • http://ntinterpretation.wordpress.com/ David Stark

    Since you have a few of Jokiranta’s publications about Qumran listed already, you might also consider:

    Jokiranta, Jutta. “Pesharim: A Mirror of Self-Understanding.” Pages 23–34 in Reading the Present in the Qumran Library: The Perception of the Contemporary by Means of Scriptural Interpretations. Edited by Kristin De Troyer and Armin Lange. Society of Biblical Literature Symposium Series. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005.

    I thought I had remembered another one of Jokiranta’s essays earlier, but it just took a bit to find. ;-)

  • http://patmccullough.com/ Patrick George McCullough

    David, Thanks so much! That earlier collection of essays by Esler doesn’t get into SIT that I know of, even though he uses the term “social identity” a few times. But it’s definitely worth checking out. I hadn’t seen that one by Jokiranta, but it’s very helpful. That particular work is a little “light” on the theory, only mentioning “social identity theorists” generally in one paragraph. Her other essays would be more helpful in terms of how she understands SIT.

    It’s great to get suggestions! What I want to do with this list is basically give people a way of testing this theory. We ask, “Okay, how can this theory be used in biblical studies anyway?” Here are some folks who have tried it and we can determine the usefulness of each application of the theory on its own merits.

  • Andrew

    Pat, most of the biblio is geared at NT with some material from early Judaism. Is this more due to your own research focus, or is there really a dearth of SIT approaches to the Tanak? (In the bibio, J. Jokiranta’s work on Qumran seemed like the application of SIT done on the earliest set of texts, unless I missed something.)

    Ever since your paper in our seminar this past spring, coupled with some thoughts I’ve been having about the prophetic “oracles against the nations,” I’m flirting with the idea of looking into this a bit more….

  • http://patmccullough.com/ Patrick George McCullough

    Hey Andrew, Thanks so much for the note. I’m glad you picked up on that. From what I can tell, there really is a dearth of use of this approach in the HB, especially when compared with NT. Like I mentioned up top, Jonker picks up on Bosman, but I haven’t found others (yet) who have really taken on the project. I’d love to see what you come up with!

    Several HB scholars have taken up the issues of national and ethnic identity, but they don’t seem to have explicitly engaged SIT yet. I’m looking to be as comprehensive as possible with this list, so if I’ve missed anything, let me know. I will have to keep looking.

  • http://patmccullough.com/2010/11/10/social-history-v-social-science-part-one/ Social History v. Social Science (Part One) | kata ta biblia

    [...] past summer I was digging into some methodological issues (hence, my Social Identity Theory post) and I realized something. Even though my advisor, S. Scott Bartchy, is a long-time member of the [...]

  • Scott

    Hi Pat, I am so blessed by your input here. I am a Chinese here at Hong Kong, about to finish my ThM by this June on the topic “From suffering on the Imperial Message in Philippians” – A Socio-Rhetorical approach, which uses some SIT. Your page have helped me a lot on my potential future research path. Thanks God, thank you.

  • http://patmccullough.com/ Patrick George McCullough

    Great to hear, Scott! Are you going to try to publish your thesis? Are you thinking of pursuing doctoral work?

  • Scott

    Hi Pat, it is so nice to interact with you. As a Chinese, I wrote my thesis in Chinese. But I may develop it further in English if I go for doctoral…in the future. He knows the best time for me. Any suggestions for seminary or seminarians?

    I am reading the book “Explaining Christian Origins and Early Judaism”. It helps me make clear a lot of concepts on SIT and cognitive stuff. Few Chinese scholars wrote this. I am trying to argue that Philippians contain anti-imperial message through the help of Intergroup comparison theories….

    Your page (and your blog) is really excellent, thank you again!

  • Rikard Roitto

    Nice Bibliography! May I suggest you add my recently published book:

    Rikard Roitto, Behaving as a Christ-Believer A Cognitive Perspective on Identity and Behavior Norms in Ephesians, Coniectanea Biblica New Testament Series 46, Eisenbrauns, 2011.