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Identity politics is political action to advance the interests of members of a group supposed to be oppressed by virtue of a shared and marginalized identity (such as race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or neurological wiring). Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes Neurodiversity is an idea that asserts that atypical (neurodivergent neurological development is a normal human difference that is to be tolerated and respected as any other The term has been used principally in United States politics since the 1970s. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Contents

Overview

The early history of identity politics has yet to be formally addressed as a subject in its own right in full-length scholarly literature. It was first described briefly in an article by L. A. Kauffman[1] who traced its origins to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), an organization of the civil-rights movement in the early and mid-1960s. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC, pronounced "snick" was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement

The origin of the term itself, however, is obscure; although SNCC invented many of the fundamental practices, and various Black-Power groups extended them, they apparently found no need to apply a term. Rather, the term emerged when others outside the black freedom movements—particularly, the race- and ethnic-specific women's liberation movements, such as Black feminism— began to adopt the practice in the late 1960s. Black feminism argues that Sexism, class oppression and Racism are inextricably bound together Perhaps the oldest written example of it can be found in the Combahee River Collective Statement of April 1977, subsequently reprinted in a number of anthologies,[2] and Barbara Smith and the Combahee River Collective have been credited with coining the term; which they defined as "a politics that grew out of our objective material experiences as Black women. The Combahee River Collective was a Black feminist Lesbian organization active in Boston from 1974 to 1980 Barbara Smith (born December 16, 1946) in Cleveland is an American, lesbian feminist who has played a significant role in building The Combahee River Collective was a Black feminist Lesbian organization active in Boston from 1974 to 1980 [3]

The best-known aim of identity politics in the United States has been to empower the oppressed to articulate their oppression in terms of their own experience—a process of consciousness-raising that distinguishes identity politics from the liberal conception of politics as driven by individual self-interest. Identity politics may thus focus on diverse forms of identity: 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). An organism's sex is defined by the gametes it produces males produce male gametes (spermatozoa or Sperm) while females produce female gametes (ova or Egg cells; individual A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Castes are Hereditary systems of occupation, Endogamy, social culture, Social class, and Political power. Sexual orientation is believed to refer to "an enduring pattern of emotional romantic and/or sexual attractions to men women or both sexes The disability rights movement aims to improve the Quality of life of people with disabilities. A trait is a distinct phenotypic character of an organism that may be inherited environmentally determined or somewhere in between Some groups have combined identity politics and Marxian social class analysis and class consciousness—the most notable example being the Black Panther Party—but this is not necessarily characteristic of the form. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. Class consciousness, literally is consciousness of one's Social class. The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist / Maoist African-American organization established

The practice of identity politics naturally entails some degree of separatism. Theorists of identity politics have argued passionately that oppression shapes the consciousness of the oppressed such that oppressed people usually internalize their oppression. Only in the atmosphere which obtains when members of the oppressor group are not present to enforce unjust definitions of equality, justice, and right, and the norms that derive from such definitions, can the oppressed begin the difficult work of consciousness-raising, the first step toward the organization of the oppressed to struggle for a liberation defined in their own terms. For the majority of groups embracing this perspective, separatism is only a means to an end. A minority of practitioners, however, define separation, both organizational and even territorial, as both means and end. This can lead to confusion, since advocates for a single, majoritarian national identity are also referred to as "nationalists. " Bear in mind that while some practitioners of identity politics envision a separate nation-state to defend the human rights of those bearing their identity, this is not the only logical conclusion that can be reached from the perspective of identity politics.

Debates and criticism

Identity politics is a phenomenon that arose first at the radical margins of liberal democratic societies in which human rights are recognized, and the term is not usually used to refer to dissident movements within single-party or authoritarian states. Some discussion and criticism therefore is more properly concerned with the broader political system, or with the particular claims of human rights that are made. Some critics "see in human rights nothing but a rhetoric that makes the cage of globalizing liberalism more bearable. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled "[4]

The argument that state regulation of abortion violates the human rights of women, to take another example, is a lively legal and political question. See, for instance, the differing opinions in the United States Supreme Court decision in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey. Planned Parenthood v Casey, 505 US 833 ( 1992) was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Constitutionality [5]

The term identity politics has been applied retroactively to varying movements that long predate its coinage. Historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. discussed identity politics extensively in his book The Disuniting of America. Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr, born Arthur Bancroft Schlesinger ( October 15 1917 &ndash February 28 2007) was a Pulitzer Prize recipient Schlesinger, a strong supporter of liberal conceptions of civil rights, argues that a liberal democracy requires a common basis for culture and society to function. The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions

In his view, basing politics on group marginalization fractures the civil polity, and therefore works against creating real opportunities for ending marginalization. Schlesinger believes that movements for civil rights should aim toward full acceptance and integration of marginalized groups into the mainstream culture, rather than, in his view, perpetuating that marginalization through affirmations of difference.

Others counter that the intolerant homogeneity of mainstream culture is precisely the fact that makes full acceptance impossible, and that social justice movements should aim not toward integration but rather multicultural pluralism, without recourse to the types of oppressive homogeneity now at play. (See the work of Urvashi Vaid for a discussion of the perils of homogeneity. Urvashi Vaid (born 1958 in New Delhi, India) is an American activist who has worked for over 25 years promoting Civil rights )

Other critics of identity politics claim that it tends toward essentialism, arguing that some of its proponents assume or imply that gender, race, or other group characteristics are fixed or biologically determined traits, rather than social constructions. In Philosophy, essentialism is the view that for any specific kind of Entity, there is a set of Characteristics or Properties all of which Such criticism is most common with regard to groups based on claims of gender or sexual orientation, where the nature of the defining trait is in dispute. Some GLBT rights activists, in particular, criticize the identity politics approach to gay rights, particularly the approach based around the terms and concepts of queer theory. LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender social movements share related goals of social acceptance of Homosexuality, Bisexuality and Transgenderism Lesbian Queer theory is a field of Gender Studies that emerged in the early 1990s out of the fields of gay and Lesbian studies and feminist studies Other theorists, drawing on the work of Spivak, describe some forms of identity politics as strategic essentialism that works with hegemonic discourses to achieve collective goals. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (born February 24 1942) is an Indian Literary critic and theorist. Strategic essentialism is a major concept in Postcolonial theory. Hegemony (hɨˈdʒɛməni (Amer /hɨˈɡɛməni/ (Brit (ἡγεμονία hēgemonía) is a concept that has been used to describe and explain the dominance of one social

Liberal-reformist gay and lesbian activists work for full acceptance of gays and lesbians in the institutions and culture of mainstream society, but queer activists instead make a point of declaring themselves outside of the mainstream and having no desire to be accepted by or join it. Queer has traditionally meant odd or unusual but is now also used to refer to anyone who is not heteronormative. The former criticize the latter's approach as counterproductive and as perpetuating discrimination and societal attitudes against LGBT people, while the latter counter that the former seek to subsume LGBT identities in order to capitalize upon other forms of (racial, economic, geographical) privilege. [6][7]

Still other critics have argued that groups based on shared identity, other than class, can divert energy and attention from more fundamental issues, such as class conflict in capitalist societies. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where Such arguments have been expressed by a number of writers, such as Eric Hobsbawm,[8] Todd Gitlin,[9] Michael Tomasky, Richard Rorty, Sean Wilentz, Robert W. McChesney, and Jim Sleeper. Todd Gitlin (born 1943 is an American sociologist, political writer novelist and cultural commentator Michael Tomasky is a liberal American columnist Journalist and Author. Richard McKay Rorty (October 4 1931 - June 8 2007 was an American Philosopher. Sean Wilentz (ˈʃɔːn wɨˈlɛnts is the Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor of History at Princeton University, where he has taught since 1979 Robert W McChesney is the Gutgsell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. [10] Hobsbawm, in particular, has criticized nationalisms, and the principle of national self-determination adopted internationally after World War I, since national governments are often merely an expression of a ruling class or power, and their proliferation was a source of the wars of the twentieth century. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

Forms of identity politics

Afrocentrism, Arab nationalism (Pan-Arabism), Black nationalism (pan-Africanism), Black Power, Irish nationalism, Latino nationalism, Quebec Nationalism, White nationalism, Chicano nationalism, Dalit Nationalism, Hindu Nationalism, Gender (LGBT, Gay community, Radical feminism), Disability-based identities (Disability rights, Autism rights, Deaf culture, Diabetes, Fat acceptance) Age-based identities: (Adultism, Jeunism)

Global Hip Hop resembles identity politics because it can be used to codify social groups, especially by race, but also by language, political standing, and class. Afrocentrism or Afrocentricity is a World view that emphasizes the importance of African people in culture philosophy and history Arab nationalism ( Arabic: القومية العربية is a Nationalist ideology which rose to prominence amongst Arabs from the early 20th century onwards Pan-Arabism is a movement for Unification among the peoples and countries of the Arab World, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black nationalism (BN advocates a racial definition (or redefinition of black national identity as opposed to Multiculturalism. Pan-Africanism is a Sociopolitical World view, and Philosophy, as well as a movement which seeks to unify both Native Africans and those of Black Power is a racially based Political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and Pan-Americanism is a movement which through diplomatic political economic and social means seeks to create encourage and organize relationships associations and cooperation between Quebec nationalism is a contemporary nationalist movement in Canada similar to what is found in other multi-ethnic and multi-lingual regions of the world White nationalism is a political Ideology which advocates a racial definition (or redefinition of national identity for White people, in opposition to Chicano nationalism is the ethnic nationalist ideology of Chicanos While there were nationalistic aspects of the Chicano Movement of the 1960s The politics of Dalit Nationalism has been brought into full play only in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where the Bahujan Samaj Party, representing the Dalit Hindu nationalism is a nationalist Ideology that sees the modern State of the Republic of India as a Hindu Polity Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social LGBT (also GLBT) is an initialism referring collectively to Lesbian, Gay, bisexual, and Transgender / transsexual Gay community or LGBT community is a term used to describe the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender subculture Radical feminism is a "current" within Feminism that focuses on the theory of Patriarchy as a system of power that organizes society into a complex The disability rights movement aims to improve the Quality of life of people with disabilities. The autism rights movement ( ARM) is a Social movement that encourages autistic people their caregivers and society to adopt a position of Neurodiversity Deaf Culture is social group of people who consider Deafness to be a difference in human experience rather than a Disability. Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc The fat acceptance movement, also the size acceptance movement or fat liberation movement or fat power, is a Grassroots effort to change societal Adultism is a predisposition towards Adults, which some see as biased against children youth and all young people who aren't addressed or viewed as adults Ageism is Stereotyping and Prejudice against individuals or groups because of their age Kurt Iveson says about the Australian scene: "hip hop provides a vehicle of political and self expression. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. "[11] Wayne Marshall writes: "by embracing hip-hop white-kids-who-love-hip-hop can often productively animate public discussions and cultural politics around race. "[12].

See also

References and external articles

Citations and notes

  1. ^ L. Diaspora politics is the study of the political behavior of transnational ethnic Diasporas their relationship with their ethnic Homelands and Political correctness (adjectivally politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to Language, ideas policies or behavior Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Separatism refers to the advocacy of a state of cultural ethnic tribal religious racial or gender separation from the larger group often with demands for greater political autonomy White privilege is a sociological concept that describes advantages purportedly enjoyed by white persons beyond that which is commonly experienced by non-white people in A. Kauffman, "The Anti-Politics of Identity," _Socialist Review_ (Oakland, Calif. ) 20, no. 1 (January-March 1990), 67–80.
  2. ^ See, e. g. , _Capitalist Patriarchy and the Case for Socialist Feminism,_ ed. Zillah R. Eisenstein (New York: Monthly Review Press, 1978)
  3. ^ Harris, Duchess. From the Kennedy Commission to the Combahee Collective: Black Feminist Organizing, 1960-1980, in Sisters in the Struggle: African American Women in the Civil Rights-Black Power Movement, eds: Bettye Collier-Thomas, V. P. Franklin, NYU Press, 2001, ISBN:0814716032, p300
  4. ^ Samuel Moyn, "On the Genealogy of Morals" (reviewing Lynn Hunt, "Inventing Human Rights: A History"), The Nation, April 16, 2007, p. This article is about the US Publication. For other newspapers magazines and alternate uses by the same name see The Nation (disambiguation. 31 (attributing a view to certain "Marxists").
  5. ^ Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992)
  6. ^ ndegayforum.org 27067
  7. ^ indegayforum.org 27052
  8. ^ amielandmelburn.org.uk articles
  9. ^ pbs.org thinktank transcript235
  10. ^ ppionline.org
  11. ^ "Partying, Politics, and Getting Paid--hip hop and national identity in Australia. " Overland, Issue no 47. Winter 1997.
  12. ^ "downunder underground."

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Hasan Bülent Paksoy is a Turkish Historian (b 1948 in Ödemiş) who earned his doctoral degree at the St
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