Group consciousness (political science)
Group consciousness in political science refers to the dynamic by which members of a social identity group come to regard their group as politically relevant for its members with regards to its status in society, with the implication that the members of the group should therefore work together for political ends. Group consciousness requires two necessary preconditions: group membership, and group identification. Group membership is the 'objective' belonging within the group, while identification refers to the subjective psychological importance of the group to the member. Group consciousness has been studied, for example, among women, Hispanic and Latino Americans, and Muslim Americans.
