Confluence of Identity and Politics in Today’s Globalized World: A Perspective from Political Psychology

Abstract

The subject of identity and it’s bearing on politics; largely in the form of political behavior has been either neglected wholly or delegated in part to other social sciences’. Identity, as confirmed by psychology, sociology and anthropology is at the heart of politics in the twenty-first century. The issue of identity warrants a renewed research since today in the globalized world, identity has become fragmented. Gone are the days when identity was almost always equated to national identity; the scope of identity has become much more individualistic and therefore complex. Identity means different things to different individuals, some may choose to identify themselves on the basis of religion while others may seek to highlight their ethnic origins over their national identity. This variance in self-identification goes on to show that the outdated and over-simplistic explanations of identity and how it dictates politics need to be over-hauled and replaced. The article establishes the primacy of identity in demarcating social and political behavior and then discusses the various types of identities in today’s globalized world. This article contributes in the debate between identity and politics by integrating theoretical perspectives from political psychology: a sub-discipline of political science, and how these theoretical perspectives trump the existing body of work on the subject. In the end, the article will conclude by identifying limitations in its approach towards the subject.