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Tell me a person’s ethnic identity and I’ll tell you their stance on the war in Gaza.
If nothing else, the conflict in the Middle East has made it clear that identity politics isn’t going away. In fact, many individuals who previously criticized identity politics now embrace their personal identities more strongly than ever.
Identity politics refers to political positions and perspectives that focus on the interests and issues pertinent to specific groups defined by characteristics such as race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality or other markers of identity. It emphasizes the distinct experiences and challenges faced by these groups and advocates for policies and practices that address their specific needs and rights.
Identity politics emerged prominently in the 1960s and 1970s during a period of significant social and political upheaval. Among the factors that contributed to its rise include:
- The Civil Rights Movements: The struggle for racial equality in the United States highlighted the distinct and systemic issues faced by African Americans, leading to a greater focus on race as a central axis of political struggle. The Black freedom struggle was accompanied by many other struggles for equality, including those waged by Chicanos and Native Americans. These movements exposed systemic inequalities and demanded recognition and rights for marginalized groups.
- The Black Power Movement: This movement stressed the importance of Black identity, self-determination and racial pride in the face of systemic and structural racism. This movement further solidified the role of identity in political activism.
- The Women’s Liberation Movement: The feminist movement brought attention to gender-based inequalities and the unique experiences of women, advocating for gender-specific rights and reforms.
- The LGBTQ+ Rights Movement: The fight for LGBTQ+ rights underscored the need for recognition and protection of sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Decolonization: The movement to end European colonialism emphasized the rights of indigenous and colonized peoples to sovereignty and self-determination.
- Transnationalism: Migration, diasporas and the movement of people, ideas, information and things across national borders have become important topics of study, requiring an understanding of how identities are formed and negotiated across borders.
The theoretical foundations of identity politics can be traced to works in critical theory, postcolonial studies, feminist theory and intersectionality.
The Frankfurt School, particularly thinkers like Herbert Marcuse and Theodor Adorno, emphasized the ways in which cultural and social structures maintain power and oppression. Their work laid the groundwork for understanding how identity and social position can shape one’s experience of power and resistance.
In works like Black Skin, White Masks and The Wretched of the Earth, Frantz Fanon explored the psychological and cultural dimensions of colonialism and the struggle for liberation. His analysis of the dehumanizing effects of colonialism on both colonizers and the colonized provided a critical framework for understanding the intersections of race, identity and power.
Edward Said’s Orientalism critiqued the ways that Western societies construct and perpetuate stereotypes about the East, illustrating how knowledge production is intertwined with power and identity. His work stressed the role of cultural representation in maintaining colonial dominance.
Simone de Beauvoir in ;The Second Sex analyzed the construction of women as “Other” and explored how gender identity is shaped by social and cultural forces. Her work is foundational for understanding gender as a critical aspect of identity. Later works, beginning with Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, emphasized the need to recognize and address gender-based oppression.
Postmodernist thinkers like Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida deconstructed grand narratives and challenged the idea of universal experiences. Instead, they focused on how power and knowledge are intertwined with identity.
The concept of intersectionality, introduced by Kimberlé Crenshaw, a leading scholar of critical race theory and Black feminist legal thought, called attention to the ways that various aspects of identity (such as race, gender, class and sexuality) intersect to produce distinctive experiences of oppression and privilege. This theoretical framework has become a cornerstone in understanding the complexities of identity.
Stuart Hall’s work in cultural studies emphasized the role of media and culture in shaping identities and perpetuating power structures. He explored how cultural representation and identity politics intersect, particularly in the context of race, class and ethnicity.
Meanwhile, Queer Theory, especially Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s Epistemology of the Closet, challenged the binary understanding of gender and introduced the idea of gender performativity. Their works also questioned the stability of gender identities and emphasized the fluid and constructed nature of sexual and gender identities, and laid bare the societal norms that shape and constrain sexual expression.
The historian and cultural critic Jackson Lears has described identity politics as a tragic necessity. His words capture the dual-edged nature of the societal, political and cultural impact of identity politics. On the one hand, identity politics is necessary for recognizing and addressing the specific needs and injustices faced by marginalized groups, promoting visibility, representation and empowerment.
On the other hand, identity politics can foster division, identity essentialism, a sense of victimhood and political co-optation. The challenge lies in balancing the need for identity-based advocacy with the pursuit of broader social cohesion and universal principles of justice.
Identity politics, while a powerful tool for highlighting and addressing the specific needs and experiences of marginalized groups, also faces significant criticisms.
Critics argue that identity politics contributes to social fragmentation by emphasizing differences rather than commonalities, creating divisions within society, as different groups focus on their own specific interests rather than broader collective goals.
A stress on group identities can exacerbate tensions and provoke backlash from those who feel excluded or threatened by these movements, further entrenching divisions and making it challenging to build coalitions or find common ground.
Identity politics is often criticized for reducing individuals to a single aspect of their identity, such as race, gender, or sexual orientation. This can ignore the complexity and multidimensionality of human experiences. There is also a risk of reinforcing stereotypes and essentialist notions of identity, where individuals are seen primarily through the lens of their group affiliation rather than as unique individuals.
Certainly, identity politics can sometimes lead to the exclusion of voices within the same group that do not conform to the dominant narrative or ideology. This can create a form of gatekeeping where only certain perspectives are deemed legitimate.
There is also a concern that identity politics can foster a victimhood mentality. This can potentially undermine agency and resilience, focusing more on grievances than on empowerment and solutions.
Other sources of concern include tokenism and elite co-optation. The focus on identity can sometimes lead to tokenistic gestures rather than substantive changes, where symbolic representation is prioritized over meaningful policy or structural reforms. It’s also the case that political elites and organizations use identity issues to advance their own agendas without genuinely addressing the underlying problems faced by marginalized groups.
Why, then, is identity politics so powerful? Because it provides a framework for marginalized groups to articulate their specific experiences of oppression, seeking recognition and redress. It also fosters a sense of solidarity and collective identity among members of marginalized groups, empowering them to advocate for their rights and interests.
Identity politics is a powerful tool for political mobilization, bringing together individuals who share common experiences and goals to advocate for equity, inclusion and policy changes. Identity politics has been instrumental in increasing the visibility and representation of marginalized groups in political, social and cultural spheres.
Can—should—anything be done to mute the emphasis on identity politics? If so, how?
One potential strategy is to stress universalism, addressing the needs of all citizens regardless of identity, focusing on shared human rights and common interests. We could foster inclusive narratives that highlight commonalities among different groups while respecting their unique experiences.
Emphasizing intersectionality to show how various identities overlap and interconnect can also help downplay broad identities, by underscoring identities’ complexities. And, of course, promoting dialogue across different identity groups can build bridges and reduce divisiveness.
But there are costs to downplaying identity politics. De-emphasizing identity politics might result in overlooking the specific needs and experiences of marginalized groups, and further disempowering marginalized communities by muting their voice.
Ignoring identity-based issues could contribute to the erasure of historical injustices and the ongoing impact of systemic oppression. Reducing the emphasis on identity politics might also result in decreased visibility and representation of diverse groups in political and social arenas.
The challenge lies in finding ways to address the unique concerns of different groups while promoting unity and common ground.
I’m of the view that every contemporary issue—the pandemic, the reckoning with race, the Middle East conflict, and yes, identity politics—should be treated as a learning opportunity.
So, what could colleges do?
They might offer a foundational course to provide an overview of identity politics, its historical development, key concepts and underlying theories, as well as its political impact.
Such a course should include an introduction to identity construction, examining how people’s identities are constructed, socialized and internalized through family, education and other social institutions, as well as media representations of various identities and their impact on public perception and policy.
Particular attention should be paid to the psychological processes that underlie identity formation, the question of how social norms and roles are internalized, and the impact of identity on mental health and well-being.
This class should also explore the role of identity in political mobilization, policymaking and ideological debates, and compare and contrast identity politics in different countries and political systems. I hope that such a course would include experiential, outreach and cultural components, which might include field research, intercultural dialogue and participation in cross-cultural events.
A foundational course on identity politics can be a valuable learning experience for today’s students. After all, in recent decades the study of identity has become central to the social sciences. Historians, political scientists, psychologists and sociologists have explored how identities are constructed, defined, cultivated and internalized; how identities shape perceptions, behavior and individuals’ sense of self; and how social institutions, power structures, cultural norms and media representations influence and reinforce cognitive frameworks, role expectations, and political behavior and attitudes.
First of all, such a course can contribute to an understanding of the multidimensional nature of identity and how various aspects of identity intersect and shape experiences of privilege and oppression. It can also demonstrate that identity isn’t a single, static attribute, but is a construction and its nature and salience has changed over time.
Secondly, such a course can integrate diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodologies. For example, sociology provides an understanding of how identities are constructed and maintained within societal structures and institutions, while psychology explores how identities are internalized and influence individual behavior and mental health. Meanwhile, political science examines the role of identity in political mobilization, policymaking and ideological debates, while history offers insights into the evolution of identity politics and the impact of historical events and movements.
Third, learning about the experiences and struggles of different identity groups can foster empathy and cultural competency. Students can become more aware of the challenges faced by others and the importance of inclusivity.
The following epigrams underscore the significant role that a course on identity politics can play in enhancing students’ personal and intellectual growth, while fostering a deeper understanding of social science disciplines.
“The personal is political.”—the foundational feminist slogan attributed to activist Carol Hanisch challenges the division between the private and public spheres, and suggests that issues like domestic violence, reproductive rights and workplace discrimination are not just personal problems but are linked to broader societal norms, laws and power dynamics. This catchphrase also suggests that individuals’ experiences are influenced by larger structures of power, such as patriarchy, racism, classism and heteronormativity. Understanding that personal issues have political dimensions can raise consciousness and foster solidarity and collective action.
“Identity is not found, but created.”—this phrase, which was popularized by the writer and editor Dorothea Brande, underscores the dynamic, fluid, diverse, plural, and socially and culturally constructed nature of identity. It highlights the ways that identities are shaped by power structures and social hierarchies and the active role that individuals play in shaping their identities through their choices and interactions with others.
“We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be ...”—the words of actress and transgender activist Laverne Cox challenge the external imposition of identities and advocate for a self-defined understanding of who we are. In particular, this statement validates the lived experiences of transgender people and asserts that their self-identified gender is what truly defines them, rather than the gender assigned at birth or perceived by others.
“Identity shapes reality.”—this statement captures the idea that our identities profoundly influence how we perceive, experience and engage with the world. It implies that identities act as cognitive filters through which we interpret the world and assign meaning to our experiences, and that the frameworks and schemas we develop based on our identities influence our roles, norms, expectations and communication and behavioral styles.
The study of identities is far from navel gazing; it addresses real-world issues. In fact, understanding how identities are constructed, experienced and intersect with social structures is crucial for addressing a host of pressing social issues.
By understanding how identities intersect with institutional and power structures, researchers can identify how class, gender and race affect access to resources, opportunities and life outcomes, and inform policies to address the root causes of inequality.
Studying identities can reduce stereotypes and prejudice and foster cross-cultural competency by promoting empathy and understanding of diverse experiences. This is crucial in multicultural societies where social cohesion depends on mutual respect and recognition.
Also, the study of identities gives voice to marginalized groups, highlighting their struggles and their campaigns to assert their rights.
So let me end with this thought: Through the lens of identity, social truths are revealed. This phrase suggests a basic truth: Examining society through the prism of identity provides critical insights into systemic inequalities, social norms, power dynamics and personal and collective experiences. It reveals how different identities experience varying levels of privilege or oppression and exposes how power is distributed and maintained.
The study of identity is a key to understanding society. Let’s not forgo the insights it offers.
