About Identity Politics of Peer Networks

Identity Politics

Identity politics refers to political affiliations that are based on the viewpoints and interests of a particular social group, including that group’s race, sexual orientation, dialect, socioeconomic class, gender, level of education, and occupation, among other factors (Wrenn, 2014).

The term identity politics acquired popularity during the 20th century’s civil rights movement, when minority groups banded together to fight majority groups. The oppressed groups have utilized identity politics as a tactic to raise awareness about their problems and concerns. The SNCC, a civil rights movement from the middle of the 1960s that created the current tactics that constitute identity politics, is where class identity politics can be traced back to (Wrenn, 2014). The term can also be traced back to gay liberation movements and black feminism in the early 1960s.

Gay Liberation and Modern LGBT Issues

Gay liberation and the modern adoption of modern LGBT issues are closely associated with identity politics, or in other words, can be classified as identity politics (Alcoff, 2006). For the gay and lesbian issues to be incorporated in the political agenda, they had to come out publicly and identify with their homosexuality publicly. By 1980s, identity politics and gay movements had become a center of focus that drew several critics. Activists continue to work for the acceptance of this social group to be accepted in the mainstream society.

Political Discourse and Identity Politics

Political discourse has incorporated the term since the 1970s. The black feminist, for example, expressed their oppression effectively through identity politics. Combahee River Collective articulated the concerns that they realize they are different from boys and are treated different (Lloyd, 2005). The creation of awareness made the black feminism to gain traction. Some scholars argue that identity politics has acted as platforms that have united people based on their shared plight. Oppressed groups such as African Americans, gays, and other people of color are among the groups that have been empowered by identity politics. Such ethnic identifications have become a strong part of the society identification process without people realizing it. Today, a person cannot be mentioned without his ethnic identification being referred to. This proves that identity politics have been embraced in almost every aspect of life today. Every individual has embraced ethnic associations to make them feel powerful or represented.

Diversity and American Politics

The US today is one of the most diverse countries in the world. Diversity has, therefore, become part of the American life. The distinctions have become an integral part of politics today (Parsons, 2015). It is a good thing to celebrate ethnic distinctions, but disastrous for cohesive politics. Recently, Americal Liberalism has been defined by moral worries about gender, race and sexual distinctions, thereby impeding the unifying factor that is integral for governance. In the recent presidential campaigns for instance, Hillary Clinton incorporated diversity in her campaigns, but did not mention all groups. This exclusion instead transformed into a point of concern when the excluded groups started rebelling for the fears of having been left out.

Positive Outcomes of Identity Politics

At the same time, the distinctions have had positive outcomes in the US today. Affirmative action has played an integral role in improving corporate life (Parsons, 2015). The blacks, for instance, are being recognized and given equal opportunity in the corporate setting. Hollywood have also channeled energy in ensuring that homosexuality is normalized. Identity politics thus have become part and parcel of the American lives today.

References

Alcoff, L. (2006). Identity politics reconsidered. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Lloyd, M. (2005). Beyond identity politics: Feminism, power & politics. London: Sage.

Parsons, B. (2015). The Social Identity Politics of Peer Networks. American Politics Research, 43(4), 680-707. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1532673x14546856

Wrenn, M. (2014). Identity, identity politics, and neoliberalism. Panoeconomicus, 61(4), 503- 515. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/pan1404503w