Issues in Cultural Studies - An Introduction

Identity and Difference

by

Karoline Schulte-Frohlinde

5. Semester

Wintersemester 2004/05

I Titel

II Content

1 Introduction  ... p.1

2 Identity and the point of view - Essentialism or Non-essentialism?   ... p.1

3 What does it mean that identity is relational and marked out by difference?  ... p.2

4 Which function has representation in the process of constructing identities? What is so powerful about representation and in which ways are some meanings preferred over others?   ... p.4

5 What does the assertion that national identities are historically specific mean? .  ... p.6

6 Is there a general crisis of identity? Where does it come from? .  ... p.7

7 Conclusion   ... p.8

III Literature

1 Introduction

`Identity` is a term that shall carry an image. It transports the idea that everyone is something or someone special. This meaning of identity of being special and unique arised rather at contemporary times. The basic character of modernity, the continuous necessity to organize things according to the surrounding to handle them and the contingency of their relationship, is today also ascribed to the construction of identities. This means that identities are seen as contingent and fluent themselves. They are permanently new constructed out of different sources, that may differ in their relevance from time to time. In case of war, for example, nationality becomes the most important source of identity. Other sources, such as profession or gender and sexuality, have no relevance then. So identities are historically specific. They are produced at particular moments in history. The pressure to constantly renew and modify identities also leads to diverse problems. It is felt that identity is in crisis because old certainties no longer obtain. This causes confusion. One way to deal with this, is to analyse out of which components identity is produced, to be able to identify the set of conditions that construct liveable subject-positions.

2 Identity and the point of view - Essentialism or non-essentialism?

There are two different, contradictory ways to deal with identity. In the biological, essential approach identity can be seen as fixed and transhistorical. Biology is here the most important source for identity because natural qualities are ascribed to identity. This means that identity is something one is born with. Kinship and shared experiences for example may also be a base of solidarity in this approach. Here identity has one clear core. The center of identity marks out one homogeneous, marginalized group. There are no diverse identities that form at particular points in history – identities stay the same and are valid throughout time.

In the social-constructionist access fluidity and contincency are attributed to identity. In this non-essential point of view identity is nothing to be seen as a certain and valid unit: It is formed in a particular historical process out of different components. Nationality, ethnicity, social class, gender and sexuality etc. are here sources for identity. The body is seen as construction site for identity. There is neither a natural source for cultural solidarity nor a true, `real` self. ¹ Identities are relational and incomplete. Identities are never finally fixed because any changes in circumstances and results of cultural and poltical discourses lead to a modification or reconstruction of identity. Producing identities is a neverending process. ²

3 What does it mean that identity is relational and marked out by difference?

In Kathryn Woodwards example of the yugoslavian war³ a serbian soldier tells the writer and broadcaster Michael Ignatieff about the `differences` between serbs and croats. The serbian soldier says it is the smoking of different cigarettes on the one hand and the fact that croats think they´re better than serbs on the other hand that makes them different peoples. So identity is marked out through symbols (the cigarette one smokes) and through difference. Difference is most often underpinned by exclusion (e.g.: if one is a croat, one ain´t no serb).

[....]

1 Lutter/Reisleitner (1998):Identität und Differenz.Cultural Studies - eine Einleitung. Wien, S.96.

2 Grossberg (1996): Identity and cultural Studies – Is that all there is? In: Hall/du Gay (eds) (1996):Questions of Cultural Identity. London.p.89. 3

3 Woodward, Kathryn (1997): Concepts of identity and difference. In: Woodward, Kathryn (ed.) (1997): Identity and difference. London. p.8f 4