Identity

Identities are the steadiest footholds of orientation and particularly of our mutual orientation. In every orientation and doubly contingent communication, they are indispensable. Fixing our image of things, processes, of others, and of ourselves helps us to orient ourselves over a longer period of time – we thus stabilize our orientations. Therefore, identities have become seemingly natural and self-evident. There are, however, no identities per se: it is in every case someone who ascribes or attributes identities to things, processes, and people. Ascribing identities to people may be discriminating.

The discourse of descriptions and ascriptions, usually called identity politics, is always a discourse of inclusions and exclusions. One can distinguish between many kinds of identities like logical, semiotic, corporeal, bodily, sexual, gender, judicially legitimate, genetic, personal, autobiographic, narrative, designed vs. authentic, public vs. private, social vs. individual identities (chap. 11.1–11.3). When dealing with others, we do not only carefully protect our personal identities but also act or give a performance of an acceptable identity by managing our impression on others (chap. 11.4).

An ascribed identity is an identification you can identify with within certain leeways or not. Thus, you can avoid discriminations or fight against them. Moral identifications select a person as a whole; they are the strongest kind of abbreviation (chap. 14.3). Over time, you develop an identity in dealing with identities (chap 11.5).

33, 77, 91, 108, 137-153, 166, 170-171, 186, 196, 200, 213-215, 219, 240-241, 250-251, 258

 

Glossary

Reinhard Mueller