The Social Identity Analytical Method: Facilitating Social Science-Based Practitioner Analysis of Violent Substate Conflict

Abstract

This research note is documentation of the Social Identity Analytical Method (SIAM), an analytical framework specifically developed for, and in cooperation with, law enforcement and other homeland security (HLS) leaders engaged with countering terrorism, violent extremism, organized crime, and criminal gangs. A key requirement voiced by these practitioners has been the ability to apply one analytical framework to multiple social groups – violent and non-violent, political, and non-political – without prejudice. Rooted in Social Identity Theory and anthropological scholarship, SIAM is designed to give practitioners a method for organizing analysis of actors, events and developments that is both adaptable and repeatable. Moreover, the framework allows practitioners to integrate insights from other analytical approaches, such as those centering on organizational concerns, rationality, and psychology. SIAM is now in use by federal, state, and local practitioners across the US. This note is the third publication documenting the framework’s development.