Gates of conflict: Communication, symbolic spaces and the construction of difference in faith communities

Abstract

Marking symbolic boundaries is an essential act of group identity. But the imaginary borders that unite some antagonize others; real‐world tensions evolve from these metaphoric moves of inclusion and exclusion. In two case studies of conflict over metaphorical boundaries erected by members of religious faiths, this paper demonstrates how symbolic communication devices have consequences both inside and outside the boundaries they set out to establish.