Tamar Bruls – This research presents a case study of the collective identity of the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement. Using methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, it analyses the developments concerning the rise, fall and everything in between on a micro level. The Umbrella Movement has a strong sense of community that is expressed in collective emotions, symbols and grievances. This is placed in a macro perspective in relation to Hong Kong’s historical, social and cultural background. The collective identity of the movement is seen as a result from a conflict between personal and imposed social identity. Though the movement is comprised of a diverse group of protesters, both political and cultural shared grievances were found. The collective identity of the Umbrella Movement turned out to be closely related to the cultural Hong Kong identity that conflicted with the imposed Chinese identity. The main difference between the cultural and collective identity was however the level of political participation.
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“They can wash away all the posters and protests, but they cannot wipe out the history…”: An interdisciplinary study of the collective identity of the Umbrella Movement