User:Monikolov/Group consciousness (political science)

The Intent Behind Group Consciousness

Group consciousness is not automatically assumed to exist with any organization of people. However, group consciousness often stems from the existence of group agents as described earlier. These organizations bring people together through common purposes and intentions that they act upon. Some examples of group agents include courts, corporations, NGOs, and other collectives of individuals. Group consciousness requires unity through the group's belief in a set of "ideological beliefs about one's group's social standing." Groups also take on the view that to improve their social standing and best reach their goals, the best policy is to pursue collective action.

Beyond formal organizations like corporations and nonprofits, group consciousness, as touched upon earlier, is often linked to socially stratified groups, including class, gender, race, etc. When discussing racial consciousness specifically, we find that group consciousness emerges from the notion that people's identities are inseparable from their race. As a result, minority groups, particularly oppressed minority groups, band together to find a source of communal support. In America specifically, African-Americans specifically have been historically treated as part of a racial group, instead of recognized for their individual identities. Researchers have therefore connected this idea of "linked fate," meaning the viewpoint that one's fate is "inextricably linked to the fate of their racial group" to a heightened sense of group consciousness.

Current Debate Regarding Group Consciousness Qualifications

One key point of contention within the philosophy is whether or not the “consciousness” of a group can be phenomenal, meaning experiential, or if it’s purely a sense of awareness.

The argument has been made that entire states can be “phenomenally conscious,” meaning they can subjectively experience perceptions and sensations as one entity. In his paper “If Materialism is True, the United States is Probably Conscious,” philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel argues that the United States experiences a consciousness that overrides individual citizens. Schwitzgebel posits that through using materialist philosophy, it may be argued that the United States has the characteristics also present in what materialists consider to be “conscious beings.” For example, the US is self-preserving, goal-oriented, and can respond intelligently to threats and opportunities. Thus, the United States can be said to have a group consciousness.

However, philosophers like Christian List also posit that group agents are not necessarily phenomenally conscious. Within his paper, “What is it like to be a group agent?” he argues that there is an important distinction that must be made between consciousness as awareness and as experience. List posits that group agents are able to have consciousness as awareness. A group agent may share beliefs and act on then, but they do so in reaction to “environmental stimuli,” meaning outside factors that aren't inherent to group identity and interests.

Group Consciousness within Feminism

Feminist consciousness is defined as "politicized gender identification," which is when women link their gender identity and the societal issues that arise alongside it with a set of political beliefs. Based on women's rights activism research, personality and life experiences can been seen as factors that lead to feminist consciousness. For instance, women who are more politically engaged tend to embrace feminism and feminist activism than women who are not. In addition, women with intersectional identities, meaning women who identify with more than one marginalized female identity, are also more likely to be very aware of their group membership and thus develop group consciousness. For example, lesbians experience discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender; they are therefore more likely to be aware of their oppression and seek solace in group solidarity. Viewing feminism as a case study for group consciousness demonstrates how even within collective action entities, there are outside factors that influence the extent to which members are willing to participate.