Identity Construction Essay

2069 Words5 Pages

Identity construction involves the establishment of a set of criteria for distinguishing between group members and nonmembers. These criteria might include skin colour, ancestry, place of origin, a cultural practice, or something else- or a lot of things at once. The point is not the specific criteria used as boundary markers, but the categorical boundary they signify-the line between “us” and “them. – Cornell (81) In the epigraph, American sociologist Stephen Cornell claims that the reshaping of identity does not depend solely on fixed criteria; identity is relational, built upon assumptions about the differences between “us” and “them”. The view of Cornell vividly depicts the importance of identity in determining man’s position in the society. …show more content…

As religious categories have received much airing in the recent years, it is emerging as a dominant factor to define one’s identity in the contemporary world. This dissertation Colors of Violence: Study of Cultural Identities, Religion and Politics in Taslima Nasreen’s Lajja, Shashi Tharoor’s Riot: A Love Story and Rajendra Kumar Mishra’s India And The Clash of Civilizations is a serious attempt to explore the need to protect identity through the analysis of Hindu- Muslim relationship in Indian subcontinent. It exhibits that identity which has religious connotation enables the leaders to use it as a weapon to meet their own selfish end. Similarly religious organizations, utilize it for political clout to preserve hold on their vote bank. The places of worship are being converted into centers of political …show more content…

She is Bangladeshi author who has been living in exile since 1994. She has appeared on the literary firmament as a very articulate, thought provoking and provocative writer. She raises her voice of protest against exploitation, particularly gender-based and religion-based exploitation. Her literary career started at the age of thirteen when she wrote poetry. Her novel Lajja, which was published in 1992, proves to be a turning point in her life. In Lajja Taslima Nasreen questions religion as a basis of constituting a nationality. When Hindus in India demolished Babri Masjid, Hindus in Bangladesh suffered terrible ramifications .She has given graphic description of the inhuman brutalities meted out by Muslim fundamentalists to Hindus sufferings after the demolition of Babri Masjid in India. This chapter deals with the alienation of Hindus in Bangladesh due to their religious identity. This chapter discusses how identity based on the religion becomes the sole reason to justify violence. It depicts various psychological reason which enables man to justify violence. It shows how such kind of violence in the name of religion results into alienation of Hindus i.e. victims in

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