Theobald-van Gent, Keshia
(2016)
Star-Spangled Corporate Identity.
Master thesis, Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation.
Abstract
This thesis examines the relationship between national identity, civil religion, and corporate identity in the US. It establishes a relationship between civil religion and national identity through a literature review. After, it employs discourse analysis to identify elements of American civil religion and national identity in the communicated corporate identities of several leading companies from American mass merchants and food retailers, department store, and automaker industries. This thesis finds a wide range in the frequency and prevalence of elements of American national identity and civil religion in communicated corporate identity across the companies included in the study. While some companies embrace American national identity and civil religion as a core part of their identity, others do not refer to these elements at all. Further, some elements of American national identity and civil religion are found in the companies’ communicated corporate identities and other elements are found to a lesser degree or not at all. For example, references to the American Dream and ‘growth and prosperity’ are prevalent and occur frequently in companies’ communicated corporate identities, while the use of biblical archetypes and images of national figures were not found. This demonstrates the dynamic nature of American civil religion and national identity in that they are presented differently in companies’ communicated corporate identities than other spheres, such as in politics. The presence or lack thereof of specific elements appears to be connected to larger discourses about public and private space, inclusion of different beliefs, multiculturalism, and pluralism.
| Type: |
Thesis
(Master)
|
| Supervisors (RUG): |
| Supervisor | E-mail | Tutor organization | Tutor email |
|---|
| Becker, C. | C.Becker@rug.nl | | | | Wilson, E.K. | E.K.Wilson@rug.nl | | |
|
| Degree programme: |
Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation |
| Academic year: |
2014- 2015 |
| Date of delivery: |
25 Nov 2016 |
| Last modified: |
25 Nov 2016 14:18 |
| URI: |
https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/90 |
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