Identity Politics Research Articles

Counter-Conducts: A Foucauldian Analytics of Popup Civic Actions in Mexico

ABSTRACT This paper draws on Foucault’s concept of counter-conduct to move beyond the binary understandings of civil society and social movement. Using illustrative examples of popup civic actions in the aftermath of a flooding disaster that hit the Mexican state of Guerrero in 2013, we argue that for many grassroots and indigenous people with a longstanding struggle for recovery of communal lands (ejidos) and autonomy, mutuality (perceived as the domain of civil society) and resistance (perceived as the domain of social movement) are co-constitutive and continually invoked in their counter-conducts. That, their ethical desire for “being otherwise” and “doing things differently” is constitutive of their political will “not to be governed like that”. Using a Foucauldian analytics of counter-conduct, we discuss how self-organised popup actions in Guerrero both unsettled power relations by creating new fields of visibility, techniques, and knowledge, and imbued critical self-reflections, engendering new political identity.

Nahdatul Ulama' (NU) and Identity Politics Practice in The 2019 Presidential Election(Study in Paciran Lamongan Village)

Nahdatul Ulama' (NU) and Identity Politics Practice in The 2019 Presidential Election(Study in Paciran Lamongan Village)

Civilizational Identity and the Identity Politics Agenda: Russian Priorities in a Transforming World Order

The author offers a brief overview of the field of identity studies in political research with a focus on the significance of civilizational identity as a key concept relevant for evaluating the dynamics of political identity and the priorities of political agenda setting in a radically transforming world. The paper outlines a conceptual framework for understanding civilizational identity and assesses its role in forming the discursive power of the state and in promoting a development policy agenda. This agenda is activated by identity politics promoted by the state and other political actors to construct and uphold an array of politically significant identities which are important for social cohesion and for implementing national development goals. Correlating tradition and innovation in the social sphere is an important priority for consistent development policies. Russia has longstanding traditions of promoting a civilizational discourse reflecting her place in the Christian world and in the dialogue of cultures and civilizations, with a focus on the pivotal role of the state in social development. The research methodology is based on approaches developed in the field of identity studies. These include both the assessment of identity transformations as changing notions of the self in relation to politics in a fluid social and political environment and the implications these perceptions of societal realities have for current social policies and for promoting political change.

The writing on the wall: Identity, placemaking and territoriality in Karachi's graffiti culture

This article explores the spatiality of political graffiti and urban murals and the role they play in placemaking, territoriality and identity building amongst Karachi's migrant communities. From Independence in 1947 to the present day, the city has been the site of several waves of in-migration, both domestic and international, resulting in a migrant megacity. Through shared migration experiences and cultural heritage, political patronage and spatial clustering, communities have consolidated and reimagined ethnic identities into political ones. These ethno-political entities demarcate territories of dominance and spaces of tension using political graffiti. This tool for placemaking and territory marking is an urban declaration of power on the walls of the city. More recently, political graffiti has been deliberately replaced by civil society actors in the form of murals changing the provocative ethno-political sloganeering to a nationalistic counter narrative. With multiple actors – political and apolitical - sentiments and stories now vying for space through their occupation of the city's walls, these surfaces become spaces of declaration, dialogue and at times, erasure. Through a process of diachronic documentation, this article shows that the walls of the city are a palimpsest of political opinion and identity; each subsequent layer in dialogue with the layer that precedes it. The authors of each layer through a process of placemaking, construct, deconstruct and reconstruct narratives of identity, ownership and belonging.

Ottoman archaeology between the Self and the Other: archaeological ethnography and the transborder research potential of the SW Balkans

ABSTRACT Religious syncretism alongside the coexistence of various groups of people and their shared material culture was a reality in the Ottoman-era Balkans. Such entanglements remain underrepresented in archaeological theory and practice because of the temporal proximity of the subject to the present and due to the cultural and identity politics of nation-state formation. This article offers a method to delve into the aforementioned archaeological context through a combined investigation of textual evidence, survey and archaeological ethnography. The case studies presented draw from the cultural landscapes and the material culture of the transborder area of Northwest Greece and Southern Albania. Emphasis is placed on the agency of the local actors who dwelled in the region and are often neglected when placed in the context of the broader accounts of the Ottoman era.

Intergroup revenge and forgiveness as reactions to negative reciprocity

PurposeThis study aims to understand factors that explain the use of revenge and forgiveness by Hindu and Muslim group members in reaction to the rival group’s negative reciprocal behaviour based on norms of negative reciprocity.Design/methodology/approachParticipants from Hindu (n = 175) and Muslim (n = 134) groups in India were presented with two norm-violating situations. Situation 1 involved an intergroup episode and Situation 2 involved an inter-community episode. Their own group members had engaged in the violation of the norms of the other group to which the rival group members had responded negatively. Participants anticipated the likelihood of their group members using revenge or forgiveness in response to the other group’s negative reaction. These reactions were predicted by religious, political and cultural identities, fraternalistic relative deprivation (FRD), relative power, anger and hate, and perception of the appropriateness of their reaction.FindingsSocial identities predicted intergroup revenge and forgiveness differently for the two groups in the two situations. The stronger religious identity of Muslims, not of Hindus, reduced the likelihood of their using revenge but increased it for forgiveness in both situations. Political identity associated positively with forgiveness in Situation 2 for both groups. Cultural identity predicted the likelihood of Muslims opting for forgiveness in both situations. FRD was not a significant predictor of revenge or forgiveness for Muslims. In the case of Hindus, it reduced the likelihood of their engaging in forgiveness in Situation 2. Relative power associated positively with the likelihood of Muslims, not Hindus, using revenge in both situations. Anger increased the possibility of Hindus reacting in revenge, as well as, forgiveness in the two situations. Anger did not predict revenge for Muslims but it related negatively with forgiveness in the two situations. Stronger hate was associated with revenge for Muslims. The choice of using revenge or forgiveness by own group members was positively predicted by the norms of negative reciprocity for both Hindus and Muslims.Research limitations/implicationsThe study used a convenience sample of young people which reduces the generalizability of the findings.Social implicationsThe findings of this study have implications for designing interventions for resolving intergroup conflicts in various social settings.Originality/valueThe paper adds to the norm violation theory of intergroup relations by focusing on counter-reactions and the understanding of the dynamics of intergroup conflicts.

A case for democratic pluralism instead of democratic minimalism

This paper proposes a theory of democratic pluralism instead of democratic minimalism developed by Shadi Hamid in his book “The Problem of Democracy”. Democratic pluralism will leverage pluralism to create a possibility for reconciliation between liberalism, secularism, religion, and democracy. It presents a framework of democratic pluralism based on four key elements: (1) a conception of democracy that includes performance and political action in the public sphere beyond electoral participation; (2) recognition of diversity and intercultural dialog, alongside the agonistic dimension of pluralism; (3) moderation of individual autonomy and identity politics; and (4) pluralistic accommodation of religion. The paper critiques Hamid’s monolithic notions of liberalism, secularism, and democracy, suggesting that more nuanced approaches to these concepts are necessary. It contends that rather than abandoning liberalism and secularism, exploring compatible versions of liberalism and Islam within a pluralistic framework offers a more promising path for reforming religion and polity in the Muslim world.

On Political Misogyny

Many political scientists hold that vitriolic speech against high-profile women has only negligible effects on other women in politics. They also contend that the prevalence of such vitriol is consistent with gender bias having no significant negative impact on most women in politics. This article argues that these sanguine positions rest on inadequate and untested assumptions regarding misogyny, and the role it plays in politics. In the service of putting us in a position to test the relationship between gendered discourse in particular elections and the structural obstacles faced by women in politics, this article develops a conceptualization of political misogyny: nasty claim-making that instills repugnant connotations into women’s collective political identities (e.g., their partisan identities). Attention is also paid to how political misogyny can distribute hatred burdens disproportionately among different groups of women.

How are narratives sacralised? Russian dogma on the war in Ukraine

ABSTRACT The article analyses how the Russian official representation of the war in Ukraine has been sacralised and then applied to the identity-building strategy. Sacralisation is considered a way to legitimise politics by attributing transcendental meaning and significance to it. This paper suggests a framework for identifying the use of sacralisation techniques and discusses the potential applications of the sacralised war narrative lying beyond the justification of war. It is shown that the Russian representation of the war, once sacralised, has codified the ideological leitmotifs of the last decades. It has built a holistic and comprehensive cognitive schema grounded in pre-constructed identity beliefs and ideas. The state of war allowed the establishment of this framework in a top-down way. Thus, the article claims that discursive sacralisation not only justifies warfare but can also intensify identity politics.

How quotation marks do mockery in online politicized discourse

Abstract This article analyzes online comments responding to viral sociopolitical events in different languages, across different social media platforms. We use discourse analytic methods to inspect how quotation marks are systematically deployed to intensify denigrations of opposing political identities and positions in the context of political disagreements. We show how quotation marks are used in situated online interactions to convey a skeptical, derisive stance toward quoted content while positioning one’s reasonable perspective against an unreasonable, illegitimate other. This online discursive practice provides insights into how ordinary politics are engaged (or rather, not seriously engaged) when people participate in mockery in disputative online discourse.

Kosovo’s path to Jerusalem: Orientalist political communication and the free world discourse

This article proposes that the Kosovar political communication toward Israel exemplifies Kosovo’s positioning as a proxy for the US, and highlights the significance and simultaneous absence of Palestine in the meaning-making of Kosovo’s political identity and its place in the world. Through an analysis of Kosovo’s recent political communication toward Israel, the author suggests that the Kosovar political elite has applied the Orientalist discourse of the ‘free world’ in order to establish analogies between Kosovo and Israel as brave and threatened democracies defending Western civilization and frontiers. A detailed engagement with the position of Muslim-majority Kosovo at Europe’s periphery and Palestine as a site of European settler-colonialism situates the current narrative presented by the Kosovar political elite within the broader contexts of colonialism, Orientalism and Islamophobia, with particular focus on the 2020 Washington Agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump.

Taking Periyarism Seriously: The Dravidian Identity as a Universality

ABSTRACT Erode Venkatappa Ramaswami Naicker, known as ‘Periyar’ to his followers, is seen as both a ‘Non-Brahmin’ leader and as the father of Dravidianism, an identity politics that sought to secure the interests of the Dravidian people, variously imagined but most commonly associated with Tamil-speakers. This paper traces the ways in which the precolonial and colonial sense of being Tamil enabled Periyar’s Dravidianism, which was not a racial or ethnolinguistic chauvinism but a conditional particularism, instrumentalising an identity in order to secure a rationalist and egalitarian future by reconnecting with an idealised Tamil past. This paper also builds on M.S.S. Pandian's interpretation of the ‘transitivity’ of Periyar's various mobilisational categories to argue that Periyar's Dravidian becomes an identity constructed by history, but also a transitive universality that can evoke an indefinite number of categories of the oppressed. In making this argument it engages with certain conclusions about Periyar offered by Karthick Ram Manoharan, an active and insightful scholar of Periyar’s thought. More broadly, by taking Periyarism seriously, I explore some limitations in some theoretical approaches to identity by demonstrating how collective identity and universality are not necessarily opposed.

Working toward infrastructural citizenship: state-society relations and community waste labor in Cape Town

ABSTRACT As a conceptual device, infrastructural citizenship looks to bridge performed and legal interpretations of citizenship, recognizing infrastructure as a space where citizenship is practiced and upon which political identities are based. While emerging discussions surrounding infrastructural citizenship have largely focused on issues of access, this article proposes engaging with infrastructural labor as a way of extending and developing how infrastructural citizenship is understood and leveraged. I begin by bringing infrastructural citizenship into conversation with ongoing geographic discussions surrounding infrastructural labor, and grounding analysis within the particularities of waste geographies and South African community waste schemes. Attending to the labored dimensions of infrastructural citizenship within a state-led community-waste initiative in Cape Town, I outline how community facilitators perceived their labor contributions, and expectations of the state. On this basis, I propose that infrastructural labor merits further consideration within infrastructural citizenship’s emergent framework.

DESAIN BALIHO KAMPANYE MAHYELDI - AUDY DI PILGUB SUMBAR 2020 SEKARANG

This study analyzes the design of Mahyeldi - Audy's campaign billboard in the 2020 West Sumatra Gubernatorial Election using a qualitative approach with a literature study method. The analysis focuses on visual elements, typography, symbolism, and visual narratives used in the billboard design. The results show that the billboard design successfully combines traditional Minangkabau elements with a vision of modernity, creating a strong visual narrative about leadership rooted in local values yet oriented towards progress. The use of color, typography, and local symbolism demonstrates a deep understanding of the socio-cultural context of West Sumatra. The design's effectiveness lies in its ability to convey complex campaign messages through an easily digestible visual medium while building an emotional connection with voters. However, this design also raises critical questions about gender representation, identity politicization, and the ethics of visual political communication. This study contributes to the understanding of the role of visual communication in shaping political discourse and influencing voter behavior in an increasingly mature era of local democracy.

Engaging Vernacularity and Identity Politics of Public Spaces to Promote Cultural Tourism: Art Festivals in Bandung, Indonesia

Public space has a vital role in defining the politics of identity. Art festivals in public spaces can increase the function of public spaces to negotiate cultural identity, characterized by vernacularity, and simultaneously use various local symbols and tourist attractions. This research discusses how art festivals in public spaces become a means for reconstructing cultural identity and promoting cultural tourism in Bandung City, Indonesia. This research employs qualitative research methods. Data collection is carried out through a literature study and field research using various approaches, including observations, interviews, and Focus Group Discussions with relevant stakeholders during JulyAugust 2023. Findings show that art festivals become a space where the politics of culture and cultural tourism meet different interests. At the same time, government policies appear to promote the preservation of vernacular culture and local traditions in order to improve tourism attractions. The paper concludes that the festivals serve as a significant place for cultural commodification, even if their primary goals are to celebrate cultural identity.

REVISITING PRIBUMI – NONPRIBUMI DISCOURSES IN THE POST-SUHARTO INDONESIA

This study explores the ideological shifts surrounding the terms pribumi (native Indonesian) and nonpribumi (non-indigenous people) in the post-Suharto era (1998-2020). The data source are 173 news articles from the Indonesian press containing the term ‘pribumi.’ By employing Van Dijk’s ‘Ideological Square’ Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) the study portrays groups in terms of dominance, inequality, difference, and victimization to understand power dynamics and ideological constructions in the language. The findings reveal that pribumi are portrayed positively as rooted in ethnic origin, cultural heritage, and mainly Muslim identity in recent periods, but also as economically disadvantaged landowners. Conversely, nonpribumi are depicted negatively as foreign, racially distinct, and economically dominant. Negative representations of pribumi as oppressors and politically dominant are de-emphasized, while positive portrayals of nonpribumi as passive victims are mitigated. The study suggests that evolving nuances stem from democratic transitions and heightened identity politics tensions. Economic perceptions linked to these terms persist across periods. These insights might help scholars and policymakers understand mobilization patterns and potential identity-related conflicts, prompting further research into using dichotomous terms within specific social and cultural contexts.

Tapestry of Cultures in Derek Walcott’s Poetry: A Transcultural Reading

Walcott, through his searches for the history of his original nation, seeks to face the racial conflicts that impacted his cultural formation; he does celebrate the hybridity that becomes an integral part of his identity through crossing- national transit. It is through his constant traveling that, continuously, leads him to experience other nations, cultures, identities. His poetry comes to be a witness for a more cosmopolitan construction of individuality. Walcott, in his early poetry, shows his endeavors to understand the culture and the racial challenges of his origin, yet it seems that he comes to no resort. In his later poetic volumes, he seems to come to a better realization of his Caribbean identity that fell under colonial influences. Thus, Walcott comes to accept that his own Caribbean roots can go beyond its origins. This can be called transcultural approach which has developed in the last few decades, not only to embrace alterity, but also to encourage interconnectedness and empathy with the Other. Transculturalism challenges the traditional notions of culture, belonging, and identity. The purpose of this study is to explore Walcott’s poetry that reveals the poet’s perspective on national and cultural identity. It argues that, though Walcott’s poetry is deeply rooted in the Caribbean culture, traditions, and national inheritance, yet it transcends the national and cultural limits to celebrate the hybridity of the Caribbean present identity. Walcott’s constant traveling created a poetry that goes beyond its national borders to see in displacement of the Caribbean people and the diaspora as a means to develop a better communication with the world. Therefore, Walcott is quite liberal in his cultural perspective regarding identity politics.

Tim Renkow’s <em>Jerk</em>: Cringe Comedy, Disability and Political Correctness

This paper examines how the British BBC 3 sitcom Jerk (2019–2023) challenges contemporary liberal orthodoxy, mobilising the comic license of its disabled protagonist to interrogate the social prescriptions that breed both hypocrisy and opportunism. Jerk examines the ways in which the codified structures of ‘correct politics’ can ultimately work against progressive aims: the ‘politics of injury’ defining minority groups by their trauma alone, and identity politics devolving into tribal thinking and niche marketing. Jerk’s plotlines examine howsupposedly reformist positions can reinforce stereotypes, expressive conventions learned by rote can obviate more complex examination of moral questions, and belief in liberal virtue can result in complacency and imperviousness. Jerk’s ‘cringe comedy’ thereby disrupts the piety around liberalpositions, reinforcing the right to challenge and critique.

Biblical reconciliation: Preaching unity in the face of Christian nationalism and political schism

The post-Obama era in the United States has been marked by a deepening political divide, particularly within the Christian community, influenced by Christian nationalism and its entanglement with evangelical theology. This article examines the roots of this divide, tracing its origins to the fusion of White evangelical identity with national identity and the politicization of evangelical beliefs. Drawing on 2 Cor 5:10-20, the article explores the apostle Paul’s emphasis on Christ’s reconciling love and the believer’s role as ambassador of reconciliation. Analyzing the impact of divisive identity politics and ideological polarization on the unity of the Christian community, the article proposes a return to preaching the transformative power of Christ’s love to disentangle believers from political schisms while nurturing unity. The ministry of reconciliation is not merely a theoretical concept but a practical imperative for actively bridging divides and sharing the message of unity in Christ. Through a radical shift in perspective, focusing on Christ’s love rather than ideological positions, a Gospel-centered approach enables navigating political tensions and fosters unity within the body of Christ. Ultimately, preaching unity amid political schisms is not only a theological mandate but essential for embodying the transformative message of the Gospel in a divided world.

Extended Space as Disgrace: A Phenomenological Study of Rahat Khwaja’s Queerness in the Pakistani Movie Zindagi Tamasha

This phenomenological study reveals the societal backlash faced by Rahat Khwaja in the movie Zindagi Tamasha, highlighting broader implications for the acceptance of queer identities within Pakistan's socio-religious landscape. I, hereby, contend that Pakistan’s gender-based patriarchal society disregards and questions queerness, especially in religious personalities. Rationalising this study using Sara Ahmed’s queer phenomenological model of affect as contact with Gillian Rose’s visual methodologies, I examine the conundrums of gender performance in the patriarchal Pakistani society by significantly focusing on how Khwaja's dance performance challenges normative gender roles and problematises societal backlash on becoming a queer-oriented religious person. Nonetheless, his newly acquired queerness as rejection of the norms highlights the socio-religious dilemma of his existence. This study reflects on the problem of queer phenomenological belongingness and unbelongingness of Khwaja as a disoriented figure in the hetero-obsessed patriarchal society and the resultant challenges he faces due to the backlash on his dance performance while asserting his identity as a righteous masculine man. Although he refuses to apologise, this extended space becomes disgraceful for him, and recreates his marginalised position as a fat-belly dancer. By examining the societal reaction to Khwaja's performance, I underscore the complexities of queer identity politics in contemporary Pakistan, shedding light on both the challenges and resilience of individuals navigating cultural norms for adjustment. Keywords: Queer Phenomenology, Zindagi Tamasha, viral queer memes, disgrace, socio-religious shaming culture; Pakistani queer cinema, Rahat Khwaja