The Identity Question

"A spectacular collection of essays by the most noted theorists of identity. The book well frames the issues around identity that presently are defining living in the early 21st century ... A must read." - Patricia Ticineto Clough, City University, New York "A wonderfully disparate and impressively distinguished set of authors to address the question of identity. The result is exciting and fruitful. No other book connects so elegantly sociological notions of individualization with the psychoanalysis of melancholy." - Scott Lash, Goldsmiths, University of London Identity in Question brings together in a single volume the world′s leading theorists of identity to provide a decisive account of the debates surrounding self and identity. Presenting incisive analyses of the impact of globalization, postmodernism, psychoanalysis and post-feminism upon our imaginings of self, this book explores the complexity, contentiousness and significance of current debates over identity in the social sciences and the public sphere. As these contributions make clear, mapping the contours and consequences of transformations in identity in our globalizing world is not simply an academic exercise. It is a pressing concern for public and political debates. As identity continues its move to the centre of political life, so too do the possibilities for creatively re-imagining how we choose to live, both individually and collectively, in an age of uncertainty and insecurity. Identity in Question is essential reading for all students of self, identity, individualism and individualization.

As virulent nationalism increases in Europe and th debate surrounding political correctness continues to rage in the US, this volume provides a theoretical analysis of these events and the questions they raise for critical theory.

Why and how do contemporary questions of culture so readily become highly charged questions of identity? The question of cultural identity lies at the heart of current debates in cultural studies and social theory. At issue is whether those identities which defined the social and cultural world of modern societies for so long - distinctive identities of gender, sexuality, race, class and nationality - are in decline, giving rise to new forms of identification and fragmenting the modern individual as a unified subject. Questions of Cultural Identity offers a wide-ranging exploration of this issue. Stuart Hall firstly outlines the reasons why the question of identity is so compelling and yet so problematic. The cast of outstanding contributors then interrogate different dimensions of the crisis of identity; in so doing, they provide both theoretical and substantive insights into different approaches to understanding identity.

‘‘‘Who am I?’ and ‘Who are we?’ are the existential, foundational questions in our lives. In our modern world, there is no construct more influential than ‘identity’ – whether as individuals or as groups. The concept of group identity is the focal point of a research group named “A Question of Identity” at the Mandel Scholion Interdisciplinary Research Center in the Humanities at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The papers collected in this volume represent the proceedings of a January 2017 conference organized by the research group which dealt with identity formation in six contextual settings: Ethno-religious identities in light of the archaeological record; Second Temple period textual records on Diaspora Judaism; Jews and Christians in Sasanian Persia; minorities in the Persian achaemenid period; Inter-ethnic dialogue in pre-1948 Palestine; and redefinitions of Christian Identity in the Early Modern period.

First published in 1996. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Questions of Identity treats four varieties of conceptions of individual and social identity. This interdisciplinary book describes and analyzes four trends of thought that have prevailed at one time in most of Europe over the last two centuries: the idea of the responsible citizen, the concept of patriotism or nationalism, the loss of self, and "suffering" as a formative element in the "national character." In a section devoted to Václav Havel, Pynsent treats Havel's notion of personal identity as expressed in personal responsibility. Another section concerning national identity looks in particular at two early nineteenth-century Slovaks who rejected Slovak nationalism and whose ideas ultimately had a profound impact on East European thinking on nationality up to the fall of communism. A third section deals with the beginnings of Modernism and the apparent disintegration of the self in West European and Czech writers. The final section addresses Vladimír Páral's expositions of the Czech cult of national martyrs since St. Wenceslas and the extent to which the "martyr" complex remains part of Czech self-identification.

With essays by an international group of scholars, this title examines how the genre both mirrors and focuses the personal/sexual/ethnic/spiritual, how it interfaces with national literatures and histories, and how the generic identity of detective fiction has evolved over time.

A Question of Identity is a multi-disciplinary exploration of one of the most vital issues in the contemporary world. Never was this topic more relevant than now, on the threshold of the twenty-first century. At a time when the global economy, European citizenship and worldwide religion are the order of the day, nationalism – as in eastern Europe and the Balkans – and regionalism – Wales and Scotland provide perfect examples – ride high on the agenda. It is the problems and paradoxes that emerge immediately the subject is raised that form the core of this book. A Question of Identity breaks new ground by drawing together eminent academics from a variety of disciplines including; anthropology, history, law, linguistics, politics, psychology and sociology, to examine the way in which issues of identity have impacted on society and the way in which changes in society have resulted in a re-evaluation of identity. Topics covered include, 'Britishness' within the context of devolution; language and identity; religion, gender and identity; the political and legal problems of European citizenship; elderly migrants and identity; and German identity after reunification. The book explores questions of identity in two sections: British and global. The main conclusion to be reached is that at any period of history the question of identity is complex composed of interacting facets which combine in larger or smaller proportions to create the whole, be that individual, group, ethnic, religious, national or supranational. This book sets out to identify some of the facets that contribute to the whole and by so doing answers some of the questions which are currently circulating around the question of identity.