Abstract
The tension between identification and separation, the opposing functions of identity, profoundly influences the ways that scholars understand and study identity. Identities can be shared or disputed, accepted or rejected, hidden or transformed. In this review, I discuss theories of identity in communication studies, examining identity as cultural text, impression management, cultural enactment, language acts, and boundary management. I offer an approach to communicating identity that spans disciplinary boundaries, focusing on the processes of identity transformation and trans/formations and illuminating the ways that individuals and groups confer and resist identities.This topic is of great interest to scholars throughout the field; yet, because of the vastness of the literature, establishing inter-and transdisciplinary dialogue about identity is fraught with difficulty. I conclude the chapter with an analysis of our research and identify areas in need of additional investigation. As such, this chapter provides a framework for developing a meaningful framework for studying identity.
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