Identity politics

“Identity politics” has enabled groups who have been marginalized by society to ban together over certain shared experiences. By working collectively, these segments of the population are able to raise awareness and are instrumental in securing certain freedoms, already enjoyed by the rest of the population. While some may label these freedoms as “special rights,” in realty, that are simply the rights guaranteed by law. While there are numerous benefits to “identity politics” there are also some inherent concerns with this framework. One of the most poignant issues is that by self-identifying as one trait, does it negate or conflict with another characteristic? For example, if an Asian American man is gay and joins an LGBT coalition does…

Identity is the characteristics, traits and personality that makes someone who they are. The article “Identity Politics Address Real Problems of Discrimination” by Imani Perry suggests that identity, apart from being a “personal possession” is a representation of how a group will be seeing in society. According to this view, different groups will either benefit or suffer the impediments that come along with their identities. Politics play an essential and important role on the way identities are…

political organization around identities and its political organization around issues. While both of these approaches possess individual strengths, they have also been a topic of contention within the community, as opinions vary in regard to whether the use of coalitional or identity politics is most effective in the pursuit of equal rights. In this paper, I will first clarify the most evident arguments in support of organization through both the politics of coalition and the politics of…

Undoubtedly, The Scottish Nationalist Party today dominates Scottish Politics in an impressive, and to some, even unthinkable way when compared to the party’s grassroots standing a mere 10 years ago. As of 2015, the SNP party is by in large the biggest political party in Scotland in terms of membership, reporting over 112,000 members, or more than 2% of the Scottish population (Scottish Parliament, 2015). But, this domination is perhaps not much of a surprise when the parties leaders, plans and…

recognition of the black woman’s struggle in both race and gender hierarchies. 2013. The modern Twitterverse. In a moment of self-described frustration, Mikki Kendall starts a hashtag which ends up trending in 61 US cities, with an estimated 7 million participants. #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen Three centuries with the same sentiment. Feminism is, and cannot continue to be, an exclusive movement, with power struggles within the fight for equality almost definitively placing white women on top,…

these people are a part of the movement, they do not speak for other feminists, or the cause itself. The notion that there must be a universal, one-size-fits-all brand of feminism is a chief failing of the movement. Instead of trying to assert a kind of regularity and conformity among women, the work and organizing done around feminism can and should be focused on highlighting the empowerment of diversity. All women are not the same and that is okay; differences are powerful things, and…

In the early 20th century was not a particular good era for women. The conventions at the time of womanhood was to get marry and have children. In Anzia Yezierska’s Bread Givers and Nella Larsen’s Quicksand, the female protagonists dare to want more than marriage and they want a place for themselves to be independent stable women. Both of Bread Givers and Quicksand explores the image of American female identity in the early 20th century. Both Sara and Helga struggles with their identities with…

Explaining one’s identity is very difficult. That is why I registered for the leading diversity class, to try to understand what would be acceptable to identify oneself in today’s society. Looking at what this generation is trying to do, from identifying themselves based on their race, culture, sexual orientation, I believe that it is very hard to describe everything about oneself in one word without being judged. That is why in my opinion I believe that our generation needs to shift their way…

Susan Okin is a feminist philosopher and the author of Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women. Okin’s condemnation of immigrant multiculturalism conveys an extreme form of liberal intolerance shared by liberal feminists alike. Despite raising some valid issues of inequality amongst immigrant societies, Okin’s argument is based on the worst of immigrant culture constructing a misleading narrative about multiculturalism. Here I will analyse Is Multiculturalism Bad for Women to support my argument that…

The Importance of Learning about Cultural Identity Cultural identity is an individual or a family’s background, how they were brought up, how they view life, their values, religion and the language spoken. Parents should know why it is a great idea to teach their children about their cultural identity. Cultural identity benefits children in many ways when they are out in the real world, allowing them to accept, value, and understand their own culture. Parents should make sure the children are…