The Function of Collective Identity in the 'Moms Demand Action' Movement

Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2016 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, University of Bonn, language: English, abstract: The aim of this term paper is to demonstrate the important role that collective identity formation has played for 'Moms Demand Action' in tackling the issue of gun control. Therefore, the key research question underlying this term paper is: what is the function of collective identity in the Moms Demand Action movement? The killing of 20 school children by a gunman in Newtown, Connecticut on December14, 2012, brought home the issue of gun-related violence to many Americans. The event sparked the emergence of Moms Demand Action, a grass-root movement for stricter gun laws, initiated by Shannon Watts, mother of five children. The goal of Moms Demand Action is to draw public attention to the issue of gun violence and to promote legislative solutions to the problem. The group does this by redefining the issue of gun control as an issue that lies within the responsibility of mothers to protect their children from harm.