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Identity politics is the political activity of various social movements for self-determination. It claims to represent and seek to advance the interests of particular groups in society, the members of which often share and unite around common experiences of actual or perceived social injustice, relative to the wider society of which they form part. In this way, the identity of the oppressed group gives rise to a political basis around which they then unite. Politics is the process by which decisions are made within groups. ... American Civil Rights Movement is one of the most famous social movements of the 20th century. ... Self-determination is a principle in international law that a people ought to be able to determine their own governmental forms and structure free from outside influence. ... Headline text Social injustice is a concept relating to the perceived unfairness of a society in its divisions of rewards and burdens. ...

Despite the purportedly overlapping definitions with social identity its adherents claim it possesses, such as encompassing the development of a social identity for group members and providing a body of thought which may be used to challenge dominant stereotypes, identity politics means more than the sole recognition of social identity such as religion, ethnicity, or culture. Rather, identity politics seeks to carry this social identity forward, beyond mere self-identification, to a political framework based upon that identity. For example, black nationalists argue not only that blacks are (or should be) a community, but that they are a community with a "historical [political] struggle," and that when united, they can actually be a cohesive political force against racism and claim their own agency outside of "white-controlled" movements. Hispanic nationalism argues similarly, but in regard to the Hispanic population. The more extreme forms of feminism argue that women should unite as women against sexism outside of "man-controlled" movements. Modern Jewish Zionism was originally secular (and marginal) within the Jewish community, but became driven by its own form of identity politics upon the formation of the State of Israel in 1948. Social identity is a theory formed by Henri Tajfel and John Turner to understand the psychological basis of intergroup discrimination. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... The word culture, from the Latin colo, -ere, with its root meaning to cultivate, generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... Black nationalism is a political and social movement prominent in the 1960s and early 70s among African Americans in the United States. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Flag of Hispanic Heritage. ... The Hispanic world Hispanic (Spanish Hispano, from Latin Hispānus, adjective from Hispānia, Iberian Peninsula) is a term denoting a derivation from Spain, its people and culture. ... Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerned with the experiences of women. ... The sign of the headquarters of the National Association Opposed To Woman Suffrage Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Poster promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s: Toward a New Life (in Romanian),The Promised Land (in Hungarian), the small caption (bottom) reads First Palestinian film with sound Zionism is a political movement that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where... This article concerns secularity, that is, being secular, in various senses. ...

This framework is qualitatively different from identity itself, which does not necessarily have to evolve into identity politics. Identity politics has close parallels with concepts like white skin privilege and self-determination, both of which heavily rely on the core of identity politics to advance their thought. White privilege, or White Skin Privilege, is a popular social concept today denoting a social relation that can exist as a right, advantage, exemption or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of nonwhites. ... Self-determination is a principle in international law that a people ought to be able to determine their own governmental forms and structure free from outside influence. ...

Overview

Identity politics may be based around race, ethnicity, sex, religion, caste, sexual orientation, physical disability or some other assigned or perceived trait (see below for a more complete, but still non-exhaustive, list). Some groups have historically blended social class analysis and class consciousness into such beliefs — e.g., the Black Panther Party — but by and large, identity politics are based on surface and "bloodline" characteristics only. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... Look up Sex in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Sexual orientation describes the direction of an individuals sexuality, often in relation to their own sex or gender. ... The disability rights movement aims to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. ... In biology, a trait or character is a genetically inherited feature of an organism. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Class consciousness is a category of Marxist theory, referring to the self-awareness of a social class, its capacity to act in its own rational interests, or measuring the extent to which an individual is conscious of the historical tasks their class (or class allegiance) sets for them. ... Logo of the Black Panther Party. ... For the scientific journal Heredity see Heredity (journal) Heredity (the adjective is hereditary) is the transfer of characters from parent to offspring, either through their genes or through the social institution called inheritance (for example, a title of nobility is passed from individual to individual according to relevant customs and...

Along the political spectrum identity politics are based on the argument that a putatively oppressed group can use their identity as a source of collective resistance to their commonly felt oppression, and that these particular problems must be dealt with separately, on their own self-contained level, before the specific group can unite with the wider working class to deal with overall social oppression, such as that which is perceived by leftists to be the product of capitalism. Essentially, identity politics is based on the concept that special oppression requires special liberation, i.e., special circumstances existing outside of the wider one of class consciousness. A political spectrum is a way of comparing or visualizing different political positions. ... Oppression is the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the arbitrary and cruel exercise of power in a society or social group. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... // The Unobservable Although the term social is a crucial category in social science and often used in public discourse, its meaning is often vague, suggesting that it is a fuzzy concept. ... Oppression is the negative outcome experienced by people targeted by the arbitrary and cruel exercise of power in a society or social group. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are mostly privately owned, and capital is invested in the production, distribution, and other trade of goods and services for profit in a market. ... Class consciousness is a category of Marxist theory, referring to the self-awareness of a social class, its capacity to act in its own rational interests, or measuring the extent to which an individual is conscious of the historical tasks their class (or class allegiance) sets for them. ...

The group identity will deal with and seek to alleviate injustices associated with real or perceived oppression against them based on that identity. This may involve social and legislative reform like affirmative action with the goal that people within the group can in this way achieve equality. It can also involve a separatist approach. Particular focus in any form of identity politics is on the contrast between what is considered to be a social, political and occupational privilege of the dominant group(s) as compared to what is considered discrimination faced by the oppressed group. In this relationship the dominant, normative group is privileged as compared to the oppression of the nondominant group. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... EQUAL is a popular artificial sweetener Equal (sweetener) Equality can mean several things: Mathematical equality Social equality Racial equality Sexual equality Equality of outcome Equality, a town in Illinois See also Equity Egalitarianism Equals sign This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might... Political separatism is a movement to obtain sovereignty and split a territory or group of people (usually a people with a distinctive national consciousness) from one another (or one nation from another; a colony from the metropolis). ... A privilege—etymologically private law or law relating to a specific individual—is an honour, or permissive activity granted by another person or a government. ... The word discrimination comes from the Latin discriminare, which means to distinguish between. To discriminate socially is to make a distinction between people on the basis of class or category without regard to individual merit. ... In philosophy, normative is usually contrasted with positive, descriptive or explanatory when describing types of theories, beliefs, or statements. ...

Criticism

From the Right

The political right considers it inappropriate that a minority, in claiming an identity, expects an enumeration of unprecedented rights. The individualist (or libertarian) ideology of the right makes the idea that rights be granted based only on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or culture a non sequitur. Particularly in Enlightenment liberal democratic theory, if a "right" is extended to only a portion of society, it is no longer a right but a privilege. Thus, from the point of view of the political right, identity politics is not demanding rights to which it is actually entitled, but instead is demanding special privileges. In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... suvodip ... For judgements of value about collectivism and individualism, see individualism and collectivism. ... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... Non sequitur is Latin for it does not follow. ... The Age of Enlightenment refers to either the eighteenth century in European philosophy, or the longer period including the seventeenth century and the Age of Reason. ... Liberal democracy is a form of representative democracy where elected representatives that hold the decision power are moderated by a constitution that emphasizes protecting individual liberties and the rights of minorities in society, such as freedom of speech and assembly, freedom of religion, the right to private property and privacy...

From the Left

The Radical Left considers identity politics detrimental to the working class culture they hope to see take the forefront upon revolution to overthrow capitalism. To these critics, identity politics unnecessarily divides the working class against itself. With the development of a political and social consciousness in the United States and Europe that overwhelmingly emphasizes individual liberty as opposed to the collective entitlements of large groups, radical leftists say that the overarching socioeconomic problems with capitalism tend to be ignored in identity politics. According to this view, resources and organizational opportunities for deeply positive change are squandered in the relentless search for specific group identity. The Radical Left would argue that capitalism created the circumstances of inequality whereby the formation of identities was deemed necessary in the first place. Thus, undertaking identity politics is like taking cough suppressant for a cold: it attacks the symptoms of a problem, but not its cause. Since the early 20th century, Radical Left has been used as an umbrella term to describe those on the political left who adhere explicitly and openly to revolutionary socialism, communism, or anarchism. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are mostly privately owned, and capital is invested in the production, distribution, and other trade of goods and services for profit in a market. ... European redirects here. ... Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook, that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. ... Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. ... Socioeconomics is the study of the social and economic impacts of any product or service offering, market intervention or other activity on an economy as a whole and on the companies, organization and individuals who are its main economic actors. ... Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are mostly privately owned, and capital is invested in the production, distribution, and other trade of goods and services for profit in a market. ... The feasible regions of linear programming are defined by a set of inequalities. ...

Some GLBT rights activists criticize the identity politics approach to gay rights, particularly the approach based around the terms and concepts of queer and queer theory. Gay and lesbian activists work for full acceptance of gays and lesbians in the institutions and culture of mainstream society, but it is alleged that "queer" activists instead make a point of declaring themselves outside of the mainstream and having no desire to be accepted by or join it. The former criticize the latter's attitude as counterproductive and as perpetuating discrimination and societal attitudes against LGBT people. [1] [2] LGBT (or GLBT) is an acronym used as a collective term to refer to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people. ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also... Queer has traditionally meant strange or unusual. Queer is currently often used in reference to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex communities. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

From the Center

Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. discussed identity politics extensively in his book The Disuniting of America. Schlesinger, a strong supporter of the civil rights movement, argues that a liberal democracy requires a common basis for culture and society to function. In his view, basing one's politics on self-identifying as part of a marginalized group perceived to be outside of the mainstream of society causes this common basis to break down, and therefore works against creating real opportunities for ending this marginalization. Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Jr. ... Historically, the civil rights movement was a concentrated period of time around the world of approximately one generation (1954-1980) wherein there was much worldwide civil unrest and popular rebellion. ...

Schlesinger believes that movements for civil rights should aim toward full acceptance and integration of marginalized groups into the mainstream culture, not perpetuate that marginalization. Another critic of identity politics from the center is former Colorado governor Richard Lamm, who wrote an article in 2005 which was circulated on the Internet [3]. Richard Douglas Dick Lamm (born 1935 in Madison, Wisconsin) is an American politician and lawyer. ...

Identity Independence, as discussed on the Internet on a site of that name [4], means the right of a free people to choose their own identity and culture.

Forms of identity politics

Ethnic nationalism may be regarded as a form of identity politics within the wider international community, as well as within individual countries. The broader categories of identity politics are Separatism, Irredentism, Revanchism, and Jingoism. Separatism is a term usually applied to describe the attitudes or motivations of those seeking independence or separation of their land or region from the country that governs them. ... Irredentism is an international relations term that involves advocating annexation of territories administered by another state on the grounds of common ethnicity and/or prior historical possession, actual or alleged. ... Revanchism (from French revanche, revenge) is a term used since the 1870s to describe political campaigns to reverse territorial losses incurred by a country during previous wars and strifes, sometimes quite distant in time. ... Jingoism is a term describing chauvinistic patriotism, usually with a hawkish political stance. ...

Specific types of identity politics include, but are not limited to:

• Ethnic nationalisms such as:
  • Irish nationalism
  • Welsh self-government
  • Black nationalism
    • pan-Africanism
    • Black Power
    • Black separatism
  • Hispanic nationalism
  • Quebec Nationalism
    • Chicano nationalism
    • pan-Americanism
  • Dalit Nationalism
  • White nationalism
• Religion-based identities such as:
  • Hindu nationalism
  • Christian fundamentalism
  • Islamic fundamentalism
  • Jewish fundamentalism
  • Jewish nationalism
• Gender or sexuality-based identities such as:
  • Gay community
  • Radical feminism
  • Masculism
  • Transgender rights
• Disability-based identities such as:
  • Disability rights
  • The National Asthma Campaign
  • Autism rights
  • Deaf culture
  • Diabetes
  • Fat acceptance
  • Thalassaemia

Ethnic nationalism is the form of nationalism in which the state derives political legitimacy from historical cultural or hereditary groupings (ethnicities); the underlying assumption is that ethnicities should be politically distinct. ... Irish nationalism refers to political movements that desire greater autonomy or the independence of Ireland from Great Britain. ... Welsh self-government is the Welsh expression of nationalism, a movement that became popular in nineteenth-century and throughout the twentieth century. ... Black nationalism is a political and social movement arising in the 1960s and early 70s mostly among African Americans in the United States. ... Pan-Africanism is a term which can have two separate, but related meanings. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Black separatism is a separatist political movement that seeks a separate homeland for black people, particularly African-Americans. ... Flag of Hispanic Heritage. ... Quebec nationalism is the subject of many international studies together with the contemporary nationalism of Scotland, Catalonia and other non-sovereign regions of the world. ... Chicano nationalism is the ethnic nationalist ideology of Mexican Americans. ... The struggle for independence after 1810 among the Latin American nations evoked a sense of unity, especially in South America where, under Simón Bolívar in the north and José de San Martín in the south, there were cooperative efforts. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // White nationalism is a variant of ethnic nationalism, advocating a racial definition (or redefinition) of the national group. ... Fundamentalism is a movement to maintain strict adherence to founding principles. ... Hindu nationalism is the political and cultural expression, histriographical and political theories of Indian nationalism distinctive to Hindu society in India, which asserts being Hindu as not merely a religious identity, but a national identity. ... Fundamentalist Christianity is a fundamentalist movement, especially within American Protestantism. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Islamism. ... The term Jewish fundamentalism is used to refer to religious fundamentalist religious beliefs among Jews. ... Poster promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s: Toward a New Life (in Romanian),The Promised Land (in Hungarian), the small caption (bottom) reads First Palestinian film with sound Zionism is a political movement that supports a homeland for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, where... The word gender describes the state of being male, female, or neither. ... This article is about the issues and phenomena pertaining to human sexual function and behavior. ... The idea of a gay community is complex and can be very controversial. ... Radical feminism is a branch of feminism that views womens oppression (or patriarchy) as the basic system of power upon which human relationships in society are arranged. ... Masculism (also referred to as masculinism) is a number of ideologies found in the streams of the mens movement. ... Transgender (IPA: , from trans (Latin) and gender (English) ) is an overarching term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies that diverge from the normative gender role (woman or man) commonly, but not always, assigned at birth, as well as the role traditionally held by society. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The disability rights movement aims to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities. ... National Asthma Campaign is a British medical research charity dedicated to the curing of asthma. ... The autism rights movement (which has also been called autistic self-advocacy movement [2] and autistic liberation movement [3]) was started by adult autistic individuals in order to advocate and demand tolerance for what they refer to as neurodiversity. ... Deaf community and Deaf culture are two phrases used to refer to persons who are culturally Deaf as opposed to those who are deaf from the medical/audiological/pathological perspective. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... The fat acceptance movement is a grass-roots effort to change societal attitudes about people who are overweight. ...

Books & Articles

• Walker Connor, "Ethnology and the Peace of South Asia," World Politics, Vol. 22, No. 1 (October 1969), pp. 51–86.
• Monica Duffy Toft, The Geography of Ethnic Violence: Identity, Interests, and the Indivisibility of Territory (Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003). ISBN 0-691-12383-7.

See also

• Affinity politics (opposed to identity politics, by Donna Haraway)
• Neofascism and religion
• White Skin Privilege
• Particularism

Donna Haraway, born in 1944 in Denver, Colorado, is currently a professor and former chair of the History of Consciousness Program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, United States. ... The study of Neofascism and religion is a controversial area that examines the parallels and intersections between what are purported to be various forms of neofascism and contemporary religions and religious movements. ... White privilege, or White Skin Privilege, is a term of analysis used to denote a particular kind of alleged social relation, one which typically involves a right, advantage, exemption or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of nonwhites. ... Particularism is exclusive devotion to ones own groups interests. ...

External links

• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Entry on identity politics.)
• WhitePrivilege.com - An anti-racism resource.
• A page of Identity Independence - the defamation of Charles Lindbergh and Henry Ford to prepare the U.S. public for later aggressive wars
• http://vlib.iue.it/carrie/texts/carrie_books/paksoy-7/ IDENTITIES: How Governed, Who Pays? Full-text