Identity Construction: Processes and Outcomes

Snow and McAdam (2000) provide a practical way of understanding the outcomes of identity construction: amplification, consolidation, extension and transformation. Identity amplification occurs when there is a reshuffling in identity salience, such as when a less salient identity becomes more salient. An example of this could be if a regional identity is secondary to national identity before intra-regional migration, and later becomes more salient, then that

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regional identity can be said to have amplified. Identity consolidation occurs when an individual adopts an identity that is a blend of two different identities; identity extension is the expansion of the importance of an individual’s personal identity to the point of equating it to a collective identity. An example of an expanded identity is if a CARICOM national begins to feel as if he or she represents CARICOM. Finally identities can transform whereby an individual begins to see him/herself in completely different ways than before, for example, if someone initially saw him or herself as a CARICOM national, but totally rejects that identity for another, say a Central American identity.

Snow and McAdam (2000) note that these outcomes are achieved through either the framing process or through actual engagement with a collective group. Framing occurs when an individual adjusts his/her identity in the course of interaction with others, such as embracing, rejecting, renouncing, accepting, modifying or reframing their identity (Snow, 2001). An example of this could be intra-regional migrants modifying their pre-existing identities after interacting with the institutions of CARICOM and citizens of member countries. Engagement involves direct observation or experience that leads to a situationally-specific collective identity, which amplifies a pre-existing identity (Snow, 2001:9). An example, could be a CARICOM citizen with a salient national identity and a less salient CARICOM identity, who might be forced to defend CARICOM from verbal attacks from an outsider. Individuals can also experience identity change through a combination of framing and engagement. While intra-regional

migrants are expected to construct their identities primarily through the framing process, it is also possible that it will be through a combination of framing and engagement.

46 2.10 Summary & Research Implications

The chapter explored a range of ways in which the CARICOM identity can develop using a range of theoretical approaches/concepts including: social identity theory, migration and

belonging, supranational identities, and Anderson’s conception of identities as imagined. It adopted the perspective that identities are fluid, multiple, constructed and negotiated, and hence relied on interpretive frameworks and those of Giddens (1991, 1994) and Habermas (1979). It made the point that identities is a lifelong process of negotiation, revealing that globalizing processes and the growth in migration have increased both the depth and kinds of identities that people develop. All the theoretical models explored in the chapter contribute to the overall conception of identities as negotiated, and explain different aspect of the identity construction process or the outcomes. Giddens (1991:201) pointed out, for example, that globalization causes individuals to be confronted with several “dilemmas of the self”, including powerlessness and uncertainty. Institutions and the nature of social relationships also contribute to this

powerlessness. It is therefore imperative to view identities as the products of the interaction between between agency (human action), structures and social relations (Giddens, 1991; Hall, 1990; Gabriel & Lang, 1995). In other words, identities are the product of individual

contemplations of their personal experiences and how they interrelate with society and other individuals.

Social structure in particular has been demonstrated to greatly influence identity construction. Changes in national discourses or public policies, especially as they relate to migration impact how migrants adjust to their new environments, but also how they rationalize/negotiate identities. Jenkins (1996) described this multiple foci as the ‘internal- external dialectic of identification’ because he believes that self-identity, which is embedded in

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social practices must be validated by social interaction. This means that the process of self- identification requires constant negotiation of meanings and experiences that might be derived from structure or through interactions (Jenkins, 1996; Elliot & Wattanasuwan, 1998). It is therefore important to assess the CARICOM identity through this internal-external dialectic (Jenkins, 1996). Within CARICOM, opposition to a regional identity could lead to a lack of social cohesion, which could threaten integration or ultimately the abandonment of integration. The study therefore examines the meanings that structure and social relations provide for intra- regional migrants and the benefits that they derive from them in order to uncover the motivations for identity choices. The assumption is that the propensity to identify with CARICOM is greater the more meaning and benefits that people can derive from such decisions. In this way, in accordance with the theoretical guidance, a regional identity is a product of the interrelations between structure, social relations and processes of identity work. The multi-methods approach to the research reflect the multiple dimensions to identity construction, including subjective and structural influences.

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CHAPTER III –THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY: HISTORY, INTRA-REGIONAL MIGRATION AND IDENTITIES

3.0 Overview

Throughout this thesis, identity is analyzed through three layers: personal decisions, social relations and structure. This chapter zooms in on social structure, including the institution of CARICOM and its policies and history. It also considers how these structures, through intra- regional migration policies, can influence social relations and personal decisions regarding the construction of identities. It is divided into two sections: the first part provides a historical review of the CARICOM and the second part looks at how globalization has impacted regional

integration and the identity discourses in the Caribbean. The historical review begins with a discussion on whether a “Caribbean identity” exists. Following this, it engages in a review of the three traditional theoretical models of the Caribbean, critically exploring the notion of

“Caribbean identity” in the context of each model and within CARICOM’s integration history. It then explores the different levels on which a CARICOM identity can be said to exist, and the factors that (may) inhibit the development of a CARICOM identity.

The second section considers globalization and the integration of CARICOM around the notion of a common identity and free movement of people. It looks at the difficulty in

implementing free movements, reactions to these difficulties and provides some data on intra- regional migratory movements in CARICOM. The chapter ends with a review of important empirical research that studies the impact of intra-regional migration, integration and identity change in CARICOM, and explains how this research fills gaps identified in current knowledge on this issue. This discussion demonstrates that current integration efforts and the drive towards developing a CARICOM identity must be understood in historical and political contexts, which

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continue to constrain how intra-regional migrants experience, rationalize and develop their identities.