What is Pennsylvania, Illinois, Nebraska, Mississippi, Michigan, Utah, Minnesota, Maine, South Carolina and Massachusetts – states that extend over American regions and political fracture – have in common?
All 10 have seen recent attempts to rethink their state flags.
In MississippiPublic pressure led the state to abandon their Confederate flag. In the Massachusetts, a commission recommended That the State develops a new seal and a new flag which would be more “ambitious and inclusive of the various perspectives, stories and experiences” of its residents. The Minnesota flag, once described as a “Corky genocidal message“Presented The State SEAL – a white farmer working in a field with a Native American on a horse in the background – surrounded by trees, a stream, stars, circles, significant and more dates. The new blue and white flag is far away simpler. It has a dark blue section in the form of the state next to a light blue section representing the many state lakes; In the center is a white star.
Some of these 10 flag overhaul efforts have succeeded (Minnesota,, Mississippi,, Utah)); Some do not have (Maine,, Massachusetts)); And others are in progress. In the states that have adopted new flags, some citizens and legislators have started campaigns To bring back the old flag. Citizens in additional states such as Washington Also push their legislators to join the redesign game.
You might think that the Americans would not care much about what is on their state flags. But studying the identities of the state taught me that it is not necessary to arouse the people of the symbols which represent them. A simple mention of my research, or flags which are sobs (state “Seals on sheets»), Or from the curious fact that some people get tattoo Of the form of their state, leads to an effusion of anecdotes, questions and confessions. As a social media account that promotes the new Utah flag once poster: “No one cares about flags. Until they do it. Everyone cares about flags.”
There is something in states that shoot people. Where we live or where we were born, explains how we see ourselves and the others. He founds us, is part of a political community in a way that we are starting to understand. As I learned, people's psychological attachments to their states can promote unity, confidence and civic commitment. And the fact that so many states are reassessed their identity, as the redesign of the flag indicate, is not a coincidence.
A confluence of developments made of the policy and the history of the State, and their symbolic representation, particularly protruding today. One is the whole Nationalization of politicsThe growing alignment of the way people vote in federal, state and local offices, as well as the emphasis on national policy in local news. Increasingly, citizens face the national problems of the hot button – immigration, control of firearms, abortion, voting rights and more – in state and local spaces. And with the increase political polarization In Congress, the federal impasse on these questions seems to have improved the roles of states as sites for developing dynamic policies. In the meantime, rapidly evolving demographaire,, In addition to the movements of racial and historical justice, have brought new perspectives to established state images.
My research shows that a majority of Americans – 58% – consider that their condition is very or somewhat important for their identity. It is similar to the importance that people attach to other politically relevant identities, such as party membership, race, economic class and religion. I also found that the identities of the state are not apolitical, even if we could think that they would be mainly funny things like nature, food, music and sports teams.
In fact, people are most likely To say that their state is an important part of their identity if they line up with the folded, red or blue supporter of the state. And although political considerations do not emerge as strongly when people are invited to explain why they feel connected to their state, they emerge with force when people discuss what they want to be different There – political leadership and tax rates at the cost of living and the ideological composition of the electorate.
We still have a lot to learn about the political consequences of people's identities. But the researchers have already found that Strong state identities improve confidence to the government and increase the will of people to share limited resources with colleagues residents of the State compared to others.
For example, if you strongly identify your condition, this can improve your vision of your governor, especially if you are not a member of his political party. People with high levels of state pride Also more likely to support expenses in health care, education, infrastructure and transport. And they are more ready to engage in local civic and political acts, such as volunteering, attend a government meeting and contact elected officials.
An important question to consider in future research concerns groups of groups and external groups. A solid identification of the State does not seem to be born from resentment towards a clear external group, which means that it could be less likely to fuel political conflicts than other group identities, such as race, partisanry and urban / rural fracture.
The most salient outside group for state groups can be the national government, but it is not clear that this relationship is particularly or evenly an opponent. Like LEGAL SCHOLAR Jessica Bulman-Pozen explainsFinding the link with a state can serve as a proxy for national identity at a time when people believe that the government is deviating from their hopes for the country.
A Washington Post columnist posted this feeling after the 2024 elections in an editorial entitled: “My blue condition is my country now,“Expressing her pride of New York's ability to defend the values, rights and opportunities she deems all Americans.
Is it possible that a solid link with its condition can help overcome heavier divisions without accentuating the animosity of external groups? Would American federalism, which are so often associated with fragmentation and divergence, be a force that helps keep people together on turbulent times? As A state senator in Utah Put it when asked if the flag was the best use of government time: “When you connect the values (we hold) to the symbols on the flag, we will have a rallying point for the whole state. I can't wait to take the identity of what it means to be Utah at the higher level of something we can all hear ourselves. ”
Deborah J. Schildkraut is a professor of political science at TUFTS University. This article was produced in partnership with Zócalo public square.
