Identity:gender,class,race, and ethnicity - Essay Example

? [Manager] 24 November Identity: Gender, Race, and Ethni Identitat is the original Latin root word for identity. This word translates to meaning “same and same” according to Webster dictionary. It is this ‘sameness’ and difference that defines each individual within the context of a group. Gender, race, class, and ethnicity are all interrelated characteristics that outline groups, but the specific dynamics defined by each group are what shape the individual experience of every person. Each of these intersections defines the framework of organization in identifying the external societal process. There tends to be a lack of acknowledgement in understanding the organization of these intersections in social theory. All of these characteristics are co-dependent of each other in terms of understanding diversity and social framework. In feminist theory, the intersections, of race, gender, and class are accepted reality, yet most argue overall that the concept is still underdeveloped. All of these topics studied under one theory can be categorized as organizational studies, and organizational change is little evidence to the importance of these intersections being acknowledged. (Holvino, Evandelina) Although several organizational theorists acknowledge the concept of diversity, there is still an incredible lack of information regarding these intersections in regards to organization development and change. (Holvino, 2008) The lack of discovery into the intersections of gender, race, class, and ethnicity may come as a direct reflection of the individual critiques of the authors who address the subjects. It may be that one or two of these identifying factors may be recognized either in the feminist movement or in arguments regarding race and class, but the overall theme of intersection tends to be overlooked. All of these factors are key in defining the individual experience as well as the global separation of groups into specific social groups. These social groups or ‘human collectives’ are often defined in terms of community, and more recently in terms of globalization and transnationalism. Women of colour have often articulated the intersection of gender, race, and class in terms of inequalities since the 1970’s. In 1974, the Combahee River Collective acknowledged that the struggle of Black woman was a combined struggle against, gender, race and class inequality. (Holvino, Evandelina)As one black feminist stated: “ We are actively committed to struggling against, racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression and see as our particular task the development of integrated analysis and practice based upon the fact that the major systems of oppression are interlocking…we see Black feminism as the logical political movement to combat the manifold and simultaneous oppressions that all women of colour face. (Hull, et. Al.,1982 p. 13) As originally documented by Sandoval, a hegemonic feminist theory based upon the experience of white women was the first to emerge. Liberal feminism, as a theory, suppressed the theorizing practice of women of colour, and failed to acknowledge the contributions of ‘an original, eccentric, and coalitional cohort of U.S. feminists of colour’. The ‘next wave’ in the women’s movement, which occurred during the 70s and 80s, rendered women of colour invisible and their experiences and concerns were removed. (Holvino) According to Barbara Smith, there were several factors that determined the ‘all white’ make-up of the feminist culture at the time. She attributes these to a lack of consciousness in white women’s organizations, the lack of Black lesbian leadership and political conservatism, which in turn weakened the power of Black feminism; and also, a fear of breaking ranks within the Black community. (Holvino, 2008) Around this time important differences between women of colour and white women’s theories began to emerge. This led to several different paths in the practice and theorizing of gender at the intersection and development of identity between race and class. Some socialist feminists tried to address this critique of exclusion, but the white feminist movement overall was unsuccessful in addressing the situation. A ‘different standpoint’ for women of colour is created, as the result of living in the interstices of complex subordinate positions of gender, race, and class. In turn a distinct set of experiences is originated from their political and economic status as they relate to the aforementioned characteristics. Some people refer to the unique perspective of women of colour as the third category, triple jeopardy, having ‘multiple consciousness’, oppositional consciousness, borderlands and mestizo, a bridge, a crossroads, and also interstitial feminism. (Holvino, 2008) In terms of identity, this group can be positioned to a simultaneous kind of belonging and not belonging. It is an orientation that allows women of colour to be associated with a particular group, and at the same time position themselves as an ‘outsider within’. (Collins, 1986) Hurtado calls it a “shifting consciousness…the ability of many women of colour to shift from one group’s perception of social reality to another and at times, to be able simultaneously to perceive multiple social realities without losing their sense of self-coherence.” (Holvino, 2008) The analysis of identity for all women differs slightly, as factors change, in terms of the social class for the majority of women of colour or women with different identity. Women of colour have always worked this includes African American, Asian, Latina, etc. These economic realities along with others are another distinction in the role of identity in terms of gender, class, and ethnicity. In order for identity to be understood it must be considered in the way that Socialist feminism understands class, race, gender and sexuality as “interlocking roots of inequality.” (Holvino, 2008) In terms of theoretical intervention, a reconceptualization of the intersecting factors of race, gender, and class as the process of identity must be considered. As these factors are defined into organizational structures, we must identify how they develop the relations of inequality and privilege. Along with transnationalism and globalization these factors define the unique experience of gender as it relates to the study of identity. It is clear to see that one factor is not independent of their counterpart and that all must be explored simultaneously in order to uncover the true social theory behind gender and identity. In terms of looking at the way class affects identity in cultural studies, one should look at conjuncturalism. “Conjuncturalism looks to the changing configuration of forces that occasionally seeks and sometimes arrives at a balance or temporary settlement.” Furthermore, conjuncturalism analyzes two key interrelated problems: The first, the task of ‘judging when and how we are or are not moving from one conjuncture to another’; secondly, it demands that every analysis should try to get the balance right- between the old and the new. Really it asks what is similar and what is different. (Grossberg, p. 6) Conjuncturalism opens up to an array of overlapping contexts, several operating at different levels, and also embedded contexts. This study allows us to acknowledge that while conjunctures are mainly constituted as national formations, they are more so and deeply expressed into and by transnational and global practices, relations, institutions, and processes. (Grossberg, p. 6) In terms of looking at class and cultural studies, we must now acknowledge the global social climate and uncover the roots of transnationalism and how it relates to 21st century global life and identity. Globalization in itself promotes the development of transnational social spaces and reconfigures enquiries into class structures. The result of increased mobility is noticeably different between the ‘first world’ of the upper and middle classes in the more advanced industrialized nations and the ‘second world’ of the working or middle classes in the mostly peripheral societies that constitute the majority of the world’s people. (Rodometof, pg. 114). In terms of transnationalism and class, a new perspective is explored within social mobility. For instance Bauman puts it as follows, ‘Green light for the tourists, red light for the vagabonds’. The theoretical expression attempts to define the contemporary designations of individuals as cosmopolitan or transnational. The cosmopolitan class is defined as ‘an intellectual and aesthetic stance of openness towards divergent cultural experiences.’ While on the other hand, ‘Ordinary Folk’ don’t possess the same intellectual and cultural predispositions. (Rodometof, pg. 114). These concepts of cultural science add a new complex layer to intersection of class and culture in terms of shaping identity theory. It was transnationalism that spawned as a new concept in the 1990s in order to define the situation of relatively recent immigrant transplants. These immigrants were mostly from Central America, and entered into the social fabric and labor force of North America and Western Europe. No longer could the conventional categories of ‘Black’ and ‘White’ be used in common discourse suffice. ‘Transnational’ as an identifying label served to provide an alternate category in terms of exploring global social class and ethnicity. In order to understand the new concepts of class and progress into new ideas of transnationalism as an aspect of international migration, it is a necessary to conceptualize transnational interactions as involving people and institutions in two or more separate ‘containers’. (Rodometof, pg. 119) In the past we have thought about class only in terms of the working class, middle class, and the upper class, yet transnationalism and globalization expound upon these notions of class in a broader sense of social theory regarding economics and culture. Class is now defined in more complex terms, as transnationalism takes into account different ethnic cultural factors as well as the migration of the immigrants into new social class systems where their roles are transformed and redefined. Ethnography in terms of social sciences encompasses the historical studies, social welfare characteristics, material and spiritual culture, their ethnogenesis, and the ethnic formations that take place within groups. In terms of identity we can look at intersection of race and ethnicity as they relate to culture and performance as explored by Bryant Keith Alexander. Identity is molded, expressed, and redefined in cultural spaces such as barbershops in the Black community. Alexander defines cultural sites such as barbershops as not only a geo-social locale of the ethnographic gaze, but inclusive of a centralized occasion within a cultural community. This community serves at “the confluence of banal ritualized activity and the exchange of cultural currency.” (Alexander, Bryant Keith) The confluence of reflection and remembrance serves to examine, define, and then subsequently redefine the ethnogenisis of identity. This reflection in action is the ‘immediate recursive thought given towards the current action, during which we can still make a difference to the situation at hand-as our thinking serves to reshape what we are doing while we are doing it.’ The reflection on action is the process of ‘thinking back on what we have done in order to discover how our knowing in action may have contributed to an unexpected outcome.’ (Reflection and Identity in Interaction Culture) It through these cultural sites that the Black community can exchange cultural currency while drawing upon reflection in and action and on action in order to examine not just the past but to determine the shape of the future. As more and more ethnic minorities both integrate and migrate into American and British societies, balancing their minority culture with that of mainstream majority culture becomes a critical task in identity development. The complexity of this task only increases when other factors such as gender, class are added to the equation. Identity provides the framework for personality, equipping people with a sense of direction and purpose for one’s life. According to Markstrom-Admas & Spencer, this complexity is only increased for members of ethnic minority groups. (Chae, Mark). It can be determined that ethnic and racial minorities have an added dimension to their identity development. Youth are faced with not only the challenge of developing their personal identity, but also the challenge of identity integration as an ethnic group member with that of being American. The socialization of ethnic minorities into the masses has become a growing topic of importance as the number of minorities increase. There are a few themes that emerge in regards to cultural socialization and identity manifestation: one, the need to be socialized into one’s own culture group; two, the need to be socialized into mainstream society; and three, the need to understand discrimination and prejudice. (Phinney & Chavira) It is the ethnic, class, and gender socialization process that lays the foundation for early identity development. As cultural currencies are exchanged and identity rituals are carried out, the youth begin to understand the social group’s influences, and the expectations of not just the internal group but society as a whole. It is apparent that old social science concepts of identity definition and experience must be abandoned. As the world naturally becomes more globalized, and the themes of transnationalism and biculturalism continue to emerge, so will the complexity of categorization and organization of group members. The lines of cultural separation continue to merge between gender, class, race, and ethnic groups into vaguely defined concentric circles. All groups may share similar different variations of experience in regards to oppression, discrimination, and prejudices, but each perspective will be uniquely different. In whole, it is the interaction between all of these characterizing factors that critically affect and determine the identity development and social culture of the world. Reference: Alexander, B.K. 2003. “Fading, Twisting, and Weaving: An Interpretive Ethnography of the Black Barbershop as Cultural Space”. Qualitative Inquiry, Vol. 9, 105-128. Chae, Mark. H. 2001. Gender and Ethnicity in Identity Formation. The New Jersey Journal of Professional Counseling, 56, 17-21) Collins, P.H. 1986. Learning from the outsider within: the sociological significance of Black feminist thought. (En)gendering Knowledge: Feminists in Academe, 40-65. Collins, P.H. (2000) “It’s all in the family: intersections of gender, race, and nation”, in Narayan, U. and Harding, S. (eds.), Decentering the Center: Philosophy for a Multicultural, Postcolonial, and Feminist World, Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 156-176. Grossberg, Lawrence. 2006. Does Cultural Studies Have Futures? Should It? (Or What’s the Matter with New York?) Cultural Studies, Vol. 20, 1-32. Holvino, Evangelina. 2008. Intersections: The Simultaneity of Race, Gender and Class in Organization Studies. Blackwell Publishing, 1-19. Hull, G.T., Scott, P.B. and Smith B. 1982. All the Women are White, All the Blacks are Men, But Some of Us are Brave: Black Women’s Studies. New York: Feminist Press. Jackson, Peter. 2004. “Local consumption cultures in a globalizing world”. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, Vol. 29, 165-178. Markstrom-Adams, C., & Spencer, M.B. 1994. A model for identity intervention with minority adolescents. In S. Archer (Ed), Interventions for adolescent identity development, 84-102. Phinney, J., & Chavira, V. (1995). Parental ethnic socialization and adolescent coping with problems related to ethnicity. Journal of Research in Adolescence, 5(1), 21-53. Rodometof, Victor. 2005. Transnationalism, Cosmopolitanism and Glocalization. Sage Publications, 53, 114-119. Read More