political identity

Question 1

what is political identity?

Answer 1

the way individuals categorize themselves and others and how they understand the relationships of domination and oppression that exist between groups

Question 2

what is the primordialist approach to understand the politicization of identity?

Answer 2

• views identities such as ethnicity, religion and race as innate and unchanging.
• places emphasis on the emotional, symbolic attachment that individuals have on their identity,
• acknowledge the diversity of cultures, languages and traditions within societies.

Example:
Samuel Huntington and Global Conflict

Post Cold War era

The Clash of Civilizations

Huntington’s Critics

Civilizations do not really exist
Warfare between states belonging to same “civilization”
Numerous civil wars

Question 3

what is the constructivist approach to understanding the politicization of identity?

Answer 3

• assumes that individuals have some choice over their political identity but that choice is constrained by social context
• recognized that individuals actively engage in identity formation
• acknowledges the transmission across generations