19.11.18 Identity Politics Week 9 Class as an identity · Formerly most potent source of identity mobilization (class consciousness) · workers' parties (labour party) to boost representation most obvious manifestation · associated with attempts at consciousness raising to increase mobilization and saliency (working mens' clubs, cooperatives) · Still visible in movements such as anti-gentrification protests or Occupy's "we are the 99%" slogan · But today most significant clashes over identity politics rarely about class: gender and race/ethnicity Race and Gender We have societies more diverse - "Increasing complexity and fluidity of the landscape of identities" (Brubaker 2016: 415) Politics surrounding race, gender, or sexuality wrapped up in efforts to "police identity claims" (Brubaker 2016) · politicization of difference associated with culture wars and polarization · Exemplified by Dolezal affair that exposed different understandings of whether race and gender can be changed/chosen (can you choose your identity?) Dolezal affair - Rachel Dolezal an American former civil rights activists claiming to being a black woman while being of white - European ancestry and having no known black or African ancestry. · Gender reassignment "cannot confer the history of being born a woman in this society" (Raymond, 1979: 114) (if born a woman, does it really mean you are a woman?) Can one choose/change one's race NO YES Can one choose/ change one's YES gender? NO 1. Essentialism 2 Gender voluntarism, racial essentialism 4 Gender essentialism, racial voluntarism 3 Voluntarism Backlash against identity politics · Backlash coming from both sides of political spectrum . If you can have Black pride or LGBT activism why not White Pride - that's the argument of "alt-right" · Using language of identity politics (e.g. indigenous culture, minority rights) to push back against liberal agenda
19.11.18 · whites, especially working class, as ignored voice whose interests marginalized from public policy · Trump campaign emphasized opioid epidemic · Significantly, also a liberal/left-wing contestation of focus on identity politics - same diagnosis, different solution • blame Trump for exploiting white dissatisfaction or blame Clinton for failing to win voters over? • Mark Lilla "the age of identity liberalism must be brought to an end" · identity politics - airing grievances and seeking justice for specific groups - ends up dividing people · distorts liberalism's message about justice for all and prevents it from becoming a unifying force