Mass action and mundane reality: an argument for putting crowd analysis at the centre of the social sciences

Abstract

In this paper I challenge the view that crowd action derives from a loss of identity, that it is mindless and that crowd phenomena are asocial. I argue instead that psychological crowds are based on shared social identification, that crowd action is highly socially meaningful, and that crowd phenomena are fundamental to the understanding and analysis of society. More specifically, I argue that crowds are important to social scientists in terms of (1) informing us about the social understandings of groups, especially marginalised groups; (2) understanding the processes by which cohesive and empowered groups are formed; (3) understanding the processes by which social change occurs; and (4) understanding core cognitive and emotional processes in social groups. I conclude that the study of crowds needs to become far more central in the social sciences.