About Us

The Identities & Ideologies Project (I&I) is a community of social science faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students at New York University conducting research about identity, ideology, and their intersection. Project affiliates come from a range of home disciplines, including political science, sociology, economics, psychology, and public policy, and they conduct research both in the United States and in various regions around the world.

I&I affiliates convene to share and give feedback on research ideas; to learn from presentations by visiting speakers; and to mentor students interested in gaining exposure to and experience in the research process. The group holds regular internal and external events.

I&I affiliates ask a range of questions including:

How do racial, ethnic, class and religious identities interact with ideological polarization around the world? 

How has religion shaped political and social behavior around the world? 

What drives the strength of attachments to national and ethnic identities? 

How do identity attachments shape citizens’ evaluations of public policies and the coherence of those evaluations?

What are the tradeoffs entailed in different strategies or institutions for addressing inequality or conflict between identity groups?

How do people’s groups affect the ideas they espouse about politics, and how do people’s political ideas shape their group identities--and with what political, economic and social consequences?