“(The story of) This country is ours!” The territorial and epistemic dimensions of collective psychological ownership among the national majority and immigrants

Abstract

This study examines collective psychological ownership (CPO) of a country on two dimensions: territorial ownership (CPO-T)—the traditional conceptualisation of CPO as ownership over physical land and borders—and our newly introduced term, epistemic ownership (CPO-E)—ownership over national narratives and symbolic borders. Using a quota-representative sample of ethnic majority Finns (n = 1000) and panel data from second-generation immigrants (n = 1239) in Finland, we examined how these dimensions manifest across groups, which arguments allow ownership claims, and how ownership claims are related to perceived determination of rights and responsibilities towards Finland. Results confirmed that CPO-T and CPO-E represent distinct dimensions. Collective investment was associated with a higher level of ownership across both dimensions and groups. Majority members’ sense of ownership was also associated with higher levels of intimate knowledge, while control was associated with a higher level of perceived ownership within the minority population. For majority Finns, CPO-T was associated with perceived exclusive rights, whereas CPO-E was associated with collective responsibility. Among second-generation immigrants, both dimensions were associated with perceived rights, but not responsibility. These findings demonstrate that understanding country ownership requires examining both territorial and epistemic dimensions whereby they serve different functions for majority and migrant groups’ claims of belonging.