Changes in Social Identity and Allegations of Unlawful Conduct among Polygamous Mormons in Canada

Fundamentalist polygamous Mormons are the subjects of numerous allegations of unlawful conduct in Canada. A study of their reactions to inquiries by social control agents showed that vicissitudes of their social identity were paramount in understanding their reactions to society. Furthermore, their decision to leave their mother-group following the excommunication of their leader, Winston Blackmore, has created intense pressures, which have led to an important questioning of their social identity. Three dimensions of this identity crisis have emerged through the analysis of data from interviews with group members, online exchanges in forums, and the community’s newspaper. They are seen to correspond to three aspects of the existential questioning of their relation to society at large. These dimensions are presented, illustrated with excerpts from interviews and online exchanges, and discussed in light of the literature on social identity.