Activists, Categories and Markets: Racial Diversity and Protests Against Wal-Mart Store Openings in America

Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 31: 235-253, 2010

Posted: 7 Nov 2012

See all articles by Hayagreeva Rao

Hayagreeva Rao

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Lori Yue

Columbia University

Paul L. Ingram

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Management

Date Written: June 6, 2010

Abstract

Identity movements rely on a shared we-feeling amongst a community of participants. In turn, such shared identities are possible when movement participants can self-categorize themselves as belonging to one group. We address a debate as to whether community diversity enhances or impedes such protests, and investigate the role of racial diversity since it is a simple, accessible, and visible basis of community diversity and social categorization. We focus on American communities’ protests against Wal-Mart’s entry from 1998 until 2005 and ask whether racial diversity affects protests after accounting for a community’s sense of pride and attachment to their town. We use distance from historical monuments as a proxy of a community’s pride and attachment, and after controlling for it, we find that community’s racial homogeneity significantly increases protests against Wal-Mart.

Keywords: Walmart protest, social movement, community homogeneity, identity

JEL Classification: M10, M14

Suggested Citation

Rao, Hayagreeva and Yue, Lori and Ingram, Paul L., Activists, Categories and Markets: Racial Diversity and Protests Against Wal-Mart Store Openings in America (June 6, 2010). Research in the Sociology of Organizations, 31: 235-253, 2010 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2171974

Hayagreeva Rao

Stanford Graduate School of Business ( email )

655 Knight Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5015
United States
(650) 724-7708 (Phone)
(650) 725-7979 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/rao/contact.html

Lori Yue (Contact Author)

Columbia University ( email )

665 W 130th St
New York, NY 10027
United States
2133616416 (Phone)

Paul L. Ingram

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Management ( email )

3022 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
United States

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