Blog 5: Political Identity

In any group or subset within society there is often an underlying political identity. A political identity, according to Samuels, is “the way individuals categorize themselves and others, and how they understand the relationships of domination and oppression that exist between groups.” Mormons especially seem to have a distinct political identity. In fact, the New York Times explains the Mormon political identity like this, “… the traditional profile of American Latter-day Saints… tend[s] to be conservative, Republican, and white.” The reason for this political identity is that the majority of Mormons in the United States are white; they do tend to be more conservative, and often vote Republican. A Pew Survey reveals, “Mormons are more conservative compared with the general public, the survey finds. Seventy-four percent of Mormons surveyed say they lean toward the Republican party, and 66 percent describe themselves as conservatives, much higher than the national average…”

            What is the cause of this political identity? Some may link the presence of this political identity to the standards that the church advocates. For example, the church advocates their members to be debt free, and it is easy for members to translate this to the government as well, which would mean they would be following a more conservative leader. The church also advocates against gay marriage and abortion (except in cases of rape and incest) -and conservative leaders also tend to be anti- gay marriage and anti –abortion. There are other such examples of where it is easy to link church doctrine to the Republican platform. However, not all Mormons fit into the political identity of being a conservative republican. These Mormons often fight to have their voice heard, so that others can know that there is a minority of Mormons who are more liberal and vote along Democratic Party lines. One example of this is the bumper sticker “I’m a Mormon, and I’m voting for Obama.” This minority of Democrats within the Latter Day Saint community wishes to have their voice heard to try and break the current political identity and “Mormon mold.”

            These “Mormon minorities” raise the question of whether the political identity of Mormons comes from primordialism or constructivism. Primordialism is, “… identities are something people are born with or that emerge through deep psychological processes in early childhood, given one’s family and community context” (Samuels). Constructivism is “political identities are malleable, even if they often appears to be primordial, and suggests that we think of identity as an evolving process rather than as a fixed set of identity categories” (Samuels). It seems that the Mormon political identity is one that is constructed over time, and can be changed, and therefore fits more under the constructivism argument. Most children don’t understand politics, but do understand that “Jesus loves me.” It’s not until children become older that they are able to understand politics and how it relates to their church. By the time this occurs, they often choose to follow the political identity, or discard it, based on what they have seen and believe. Therefore political identity for individuals in the Mormon Church is malleable, as we see the context in which individuals see themselves in regards to their religion and politics constantly changing.

            An example of this is myself. I have been a member of the LDS church my entire life, and everyone in my family fits the Mormon political identity, except for me. Despite how I was raised, I have chosen to alter my political views to follow a more democratic platform. This gives evidence against the primordialism arguments, and evidence for constructivism arguments in regards to the Mormon political identity. Others would also agree that despite their being raised in the church, their political views aren’t based on something that they are instinctively born with, rather something that evolved and changed as they learned how to mesh their religious and political views.

Bibliography:

Khan, Huma. 12 January 2012. "Pew Survey: Majority of Mormons Lean Republican; Half Cite Discrimination Against Their Faith." ABC News. Accessed 12 October 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/pew-survey-most-mormons-feel-they-are-misunderstood-not-viewed-as-mainstream/>.

Samuels, David J. 2013. Comparative politics.  Minneapolis: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Saulny, Susan. 22 May 2012. New York Times. “Black Mormons and the Politics of Identity.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/us/for-black-mormons-a-political-choice-like-no-other.html?pagewanted=all