Identity Politics

Identity politics, according to Laura Maguire (2016), is the forming of an alliance of a particular group, gender, or ethnicity, to fight or defend their interests. According to critics, identity politics only happen between a specific group of people such as black versus white, straight versus gay, protestant versus Catholics, etc., which are known to have controversy between each other.

Heyes (2020) stated that identity politics “starts from analyses of such forms of social injustice to recommend, variously, the reclaiming, redescription, or transformation of previously stigmatized accounts of a group membership. Rather than accepting the negative scripts offered by a dominant culture about one’s own inferiority, one transforms one’s own sense of self and community.” Identity politics came to light as political movements fighting for black rights, LGBTQ, feminism, etc. started.

According to Gonzalez (2020), identity politics is everywhere. We are basking in it whether we like it or not. Has it gone too far? Looking back, it all started in hopes to have changed, and obviously, some of those are not achieved yet. There are a lot more problems that need to be solved and I think that it has not gone too far because, in my opinion, we shall not stop fighting for what we think is right.

Gonzalez, M. (2020). Uncovering the Origins of Identity Politics. The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/uncovering-the-origins-identity-politics

Maguire, L. (2016). Identity Politics. Philosophy Talk. https://www.philosophytalk.org/blog/identity-politics