What is Identity?
Identity as an abstracted and immaterial term or construct has been taken on
by different academics. The philosophy, for instance delves into identity on a
personal level and asked for “Who am I?”, “Where do we come from?” and
“How do we think?” (Hoffmann:2010:70). The psychobiology assumes that
some parts of our identity are pre-determent by our RNA, a part of our identity
would therefore be a mixture of our parentʼs ones (Barkhaus:1996:31-38).
Academics of pedagogic and education are interested in the process of selfdiscovery
within the puberty (Osterloh:2010: 31-36). There are many more
schools which are dealing with identity, all of them intersect and influence each
other. The perspective of the Culture Studies1offers in matters of identity multiple
approaches as it is an interdisciplinary field in which perspectives from different
disciplines can be selectively chosen to observe the relation of culture
and identity (Baker:2005:7). The term identity emerged during the 90s as the
central theme into the cultural studies and raised the question “What is identity?”
(Backer:2005:219), in order to explain the “…consciousness of self found
in the western world …” (Longhurst/Smith/Bagnall/Crawnford/ Ogborn:
2008:142).
Purpose of this paper is to use the approach of the culture studies to find out
how we, as human, constructed identity. Therefore it is imported to include and analyse elements which make up identity and to embrace how we exhibit
oneʼs own identity.
Table of Contents
1. What is Identity?
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to explore how human identity is constructed through the lens of Cultural Studies. The work seeks to understand the mechanisms by which individuals form, exhibit, and maintain their identities within various social and cultural contexts, ultimately addressing how the interplay of similarity and difference shapes our perception of self.
- The role of cultural representation in the social construction of identity.
- The influence of biographical narrative and personal projects on self-identity (Giddens).
- Identity as a performance: The concept of roles, masks, and communication patterns.
- The interplay of similarity and difference in defining group and individual identities.
- The mechanisms of identity establishment through avowal and ascription pathways.
Excerpt from the Book
What is Identity?
Identity as an abstracted and immaterial term or construct has been taken on by different academics. The philosophy, for instance delves into identity on a personal level and asked for “Who am I?”, “Where do we come from?” and “How do we think?” (Hoffmann:2010:70). The psychobiology assumes that some parts of our identity are pre-determent by our RNA, a part of our identity would therefore be a mixture of our parentʼs ones (Barkhaus:1996:31-38). Academics of pedagogic and education are interested in the process of self-discovery within the puberty (Osterloh:2010: 31-36). There are many more schools which are dealing with identity, all of them intersect and influence each other. The perspective of the Culture Studies offers in matters of identity multiple approaches as it is an interdisciplinary field in which perspectives from different disciplines can be selectively chosen to observe the relation of culture and identity (Baker:2005:7). The term identity emerged during the 90s as the central theme into the cultural studies and raised the question “What is identity?” (Backer:2005:219), in order to explain the “…consciousness of self found in the western world …” (Longhurst/Smith/Bagnall/Crawnford/ Ogborn: 2008:142).
Summary of Chapters
1. What is Identity?: This chapter defines identity as an interdisciplinary construct, exploring various academic perspectives from philosophy, biology, and pedagogy before narrowing the focus to Cultural Studies.
Keywords
Identity, Cultural Studies, Self-identity, Social Construction, Narrative, Communication, Roles, Masks, Intercultural Transits, Language Expectations, Similarity, Difference, Avowal, Ascription, Globalization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic paper?
The paper fundamentally examines the concept of identity, specifically how it is constructed by humans as a social and cultural process rather than a fixed, inherent trait.
What are the central thematic areas covered in the text?
The primary themes include the social construction of the self, the impact of cultural representations on identity, the role of narrative and biography, and how communication patterns and social expectations define individual behavior.
What is the primary research goal?
The main goal is to utilize the framework of Cultural Studies to analyze the elements that constitute identity and to understand how humans exhibit their own identities in diverse situations.
Which scientific approaches are utilized in this work?
The paper adopts an interdisciplinary perspective from Cultural Studies, drawing upon theories from authors such as Anthony Giddens, Bradford J. Hall, Stuart Hall, and Michel Foucault to synthesize a coherent understanding of identity construction.
What core topics are addressed in the main body of the text?
The main body discusses the transition of identity from a static state to a "process of becoming," the function of roles and masks in social interaction, the influence of language and jargon, and the pathways of avowal and ascription.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
Key terms include Identity, Cultural Studies, Social Construction, Role Theory, Communication, Avowal, and Ascription.
How does the author explain the concept of "intercultural transits"?
The author uses this term to describe individuals who adapt or shift their identities when moving between different cultural environments, such as those traveling between a homeland and an immigrant country.
How do "avowal" and "ascription" pathways function in identity construction?
Avowal refers to the internal process of trying to fit into an identity one envisions for oneself, while ascription describes the process where identities are established externally by others to interpret or motivate behavior.
- Citar trabajo
- Rosa Grieser (Autor), 2012, How do we construct identity?, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/212410
