Introduction
This academic piece will be defining and elaborating on the concept of Identity politics additionally shedding light on the case study based on Born Frees living in South Africa in relation to Identity politics in a post-Apartheid context. Furthermore, this piece will provide a definition of Identity Politics and further examine why this definition is the most suitable to alternative definitions. The essay will illustrate Identity Politics as a working definition in practice in the actual world. Four components of Identity politics will be examined race, gender, religion and culture. The relevance of the four components will be explain and examined in relation with modern day society, how they influence modern populations and
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In Chigumadzi’s early school days Chigumadzi desires to be referred to as “Gloria” (Chigumadzi, 2015) her second English name instead of her first African name of “Panashe” (Chigumadzi, 2015) Chigumadzi illustrates the lack of identity politics which exists within a portion of black youth in South Africa. This is a struggle which many black youth experience if attending traditionally white schools as the differences between a black student and a white student become clear as a result of cultural differences in the classroom and the prejudices which an educator could possess and which could be demonstrated in dialogue or actions. (Chigumadzi, 2015) As Chigumadzi’s educator possessed prejudice views such as the articulation of the following judgment “apartheid had good intentions behind it. It was just that it was badly executed!” (Chigumadzi, 2015, p. NA) An identity crisis amongst black youth has raised according to Chigumadzi as a result of the unaccommodating atmosphere which exists around race in South Africa in a modern context post-Apartheid. (Chigumadzi, 2015) The coconut culture states that black diamond youth strives for whiteness. These individuals are often referred to as ‘Uncle Toms’ (Chigumadzi, 2015, p. NA) or additionally ‘agents of whiteness’ (Chigumadzi, 2015, p. NA) This dilemma of the lack of …show more content…
(Chigumadzi, 2015) perhaps in search of a unifying platform which is needed as a result of the lack of identity politics which exists in post-Apartheid South
Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms sparks many of the social problems which I will show happening in all communities and cultures. The main issue we will discuss is how social environments effect the search for identity. The Mexicans in the U.S. module gives us examples how Mexicans try to keep their customs while living in a discriminated environment by the Whites. This module also gives us examples how people are searching for personal identity while struggling with cultural traditions. Finally, the African-American module gives us more examples to compare with the Mexicans in the U.S. module, because these readings deal with Blacks finding personal identity also through discrimination from the Whites. To properly understand the theme of identity, we must first look the factors influencing it.
In “Language and Identity Politics: The Linguistic Autobiographies of Latinos in the United States,” by Lea Ramsdell, she talks about three different autobiographies by Richard Rodriguez, Ariel Dorfman and Gloria Anzaldua. She describes that how their views on their different language differs from one another. Ramsdell states that “Language is identity and identity is political” in the beginning of her paper. She asserts that the language choice for each writer was a political act for which they use for self-empowerment. After reading the works by all three, she realized that the language heritage was brought together by their family and each ethnic history. I agree with the assumption of Lea Ramsdell because throughout the autobiography of Richard Rodriguez, we can sense that kind of relation of languages. Rodriguez thinks that by leaving Spanish behind and mastering English language, he becomes a member of the world of success. But question is that whether it is necessary to abandon your first language, while learning another language? I think Rodriguez has chosen a wrong direction while assimilating into English culture. He could be a successful person under these circumstances, without losing his cultural traditions.
In today’s society there are many words that are used or said without giving it complete thought. For example, the word “identity” is something to which I have never really given much thought or even considered how I identify myself.
Throughout South Africa’s history, apartheid has been a very important issue that stood out greatly in the country’s culture. The first law created to put apartheid into action was created in 1948. Many laws were created after that, such as the “Population Registration Act No 30 of 1950.” It stated, “A White person is one who is in appearance obviously white – and not generally accepted as Coloured – or who is generally accepted as White – and is not obviously Non-White, provided that a person shall not be classified as a White person if one of his natural parents has been classified as a Coloured person or a Bantu...” The government had to make a law regulating what people would be classified as if they were different, that makes the laws regarding people that fall under these categories very unfair. This was just the beginning of discrimination between people and apartheid. Up until 1994, the ...
In her work, “Identity,” Carla Kaplan frames the difficulty of defining the term “identity.” She argues that identity is a tension because personal identity conventionally arbitrates taste and lifestyle, while social identity is regarded as a constellation of different and often competing identifications or “cultural negotiations” (Kaplan, 2007). In addition, she argues that identity politics has caused “suspicion and criticism” by limiting new democratic possibilities by encouraging narrow solidarities rather than broader identification resulting in the struggle for recognition becoming a questioning of recognition (Kaplan, 2007). Lastly, she argues that “A realistic identity politics” is needed to recognize that identities are multiple/dynamic
When we think about our identity we often think about the way we look. Such features as hair color, eye color, skin tone, height and weight come to mind. Whilst these features are part of our identity, there are many more complex factors that make us who we are. Whilst psychological issues are paramount to the formation of our identity, I will be addressing the nature of our identity in relation to socio-cultural factors (Austin, 2002, p.9). During the course of this essay I will be discussing the term of Identity and some of the axes of identity, including Race, Class and Gender. It is important to understand some of the significant issues of identity so that we have more of an understanding of who and what we are, which in turn may help us to begin to better understand others.
The separation of people by one’s race causes boundaries to exist. In Johannesburg, Kumalo seems like an outsider within many areas of the city due to the color of his skin. The society of South Africa creates dissimilar points of view of a black man’s court case: “It is true that the victim was
National identity can be explained as a group of people belonging to the same nation no matter what their culture or religion is. They share a common national anthem, language, history, laws and government. Segregation and discrimination have been problems rooted in South African history for a long period. There is a diversity of cultures and languages and therefore tension is high among the various groups. In 1994, the African National Congress was elected. Along with this National Congress came the notion to achieve a uni...
What is identity? Identity is an unbound formation which is created by racial construction and gender construction within an individual’s society even though it is often seen as a controlled piece of oneself. In Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’, Tatum asserts that identity is formed by “individual characteristics, family dynamics, historical factors, and social and political contexts” (Tatum 105). Tatum’s piece, “The Complexity of Identity: ‘Who Am I?’” creates a better understanding of how major obstacles such as racism and sexism shape our self identity.
Throughout world society, racism in others has caused them to become “blind” or ignorant. Racism has been around since anyone can remember. In racism in America, the struggle of African Americans seems to stand out the most. In Ralph Ellison’s, The Invisible Man, the narrator struggles to find his own identity despite of what he accomplishes throughout the book because he’s a black man living in a racist American society.
The End of Apartheid - HistoryWiz South Africa. (n.d.). HistoryWiz: for students, teachers and lovers of history. Retrieved February 19, 2011, from http://www.historywiz.org/end.htm
Coster, P., & Woolf, A. (Eds.).(2011). World book: South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Movement, (pp. 56-57). Arcturus Publishers: Chicago.
Salazar, J.M., 1998, ‘Social identity and national identity’, in Worchel, S., Morales, J.F., Páez, D., Deschamps, J.-C. (Eds.), Social Identity, International Perspectives. Sage, London.
...ld be helpful to have insight on South African Apartheid. Without any, the book is of course comprehensible, but with knowledge comes an advantage to the reader. A critic offers an explanation of her purpose for writing this way, saying “In order to process such complicated thought processes, it takes immense concentration.” (Coles 1).
The African National Congress wanted a democratic future where all races would enjoy equal rights. (Encyclopedia, 2008) South Africa was going through a hard time, ”The Great Depression” and ”The World War 2” brought economical problems for the Africans. The government needed to strengthen its policies of racial segregation, and they did. In 1948, the Afrikaner...