Uncertainty of Identity in Contemporary Society - Essay Example

Part A Identity and personality are two different aspects of an individual. We may share some common personality traits or characteristics with others but we identify with a particular group or society. Identity requires an active engagement on our part. The way we speak and dress, the way we interact with others shapes our identity. Identity is marked by similarity, which is of the people like us, and by difference, of those who are not. Symbols and representations like the badge or the same language mark the way in which we share the identity with some people and differ from others. This helps to send signals to others how we want to be seen as. A document like a passport signifies that you belong to a particular nation, even though the physical appearance may have changed over a period of years. Identities are formed depending upon how I see me and how others see me. Identities are the product of the society in which we live and how we relate to others. Conflicting and multiple identities also develop when the same person exhibits different characteristics or attributes as a parent, husband, or an employee at different times, in different situations. There is also a connection between how I want to be and the influences, pressures, and oppurtunities around that affect me. Conflicting identity can also arise when how I see myself differs from how others see me. The organization of society is important in shaping our identity. Louis Althusser emphasizes that interpellation links the individual to the social. Interpellation is a process in which the people recognize themselves in a particular identity, for instance, people identify themselves as ‘that’ when they see a particular advertisement. Social scientists relate work based identities to class. A class is a group of people who share common interest, experiences, and lifestyles. Different economic systems create different social groups, which involves some degree of inequality. The unequal distribution of materials creates different social class. Gender relations are another source of inequality. Men are considered the breadwinner and women’s identity is merely an extension of their role as wives, homemakers, and mothers. Hence, distribution of work between men and women also carries these marks and identities. Young children need to know whether they are boy or girl. Gender identity is constructed not just through the biological body but also through the social and cultural classification system. Social class provides a sense of belonging and emphasizes how to relate to the world around. Personal history, family background, occupation, personal struggles, and conflict determine the social class. Class identity had been important but post war the class identity has changed largely. Steel and coal industry were predominantly male dominated but now with the shift of focus on the service sector and with increase in the number of women working, uncertainty has crept in. Fragmentation of trade unionism is also responsible for the erosion of class identity. Changes in the economic structure and employment have forced individuals to redefine themselves. Social class is determined by two different traditions of thoughts. Karl Marx and Max Weber differ in their understanding of class and society but the basis for groups of class is the economic structure. According to Marx, the organization shapes the relationship between individuals and groups within the society whereas Weber believes market position is responsible for class structure. Class-consciousness emerges through collective action in the Marxist tradition but according to the Weberian tradition identity and collective action focus on the status group. In the early 1960s with an increase in consumption, the working class was adopting middle-class values and lifestyle, which was responsible for the erosion of class identity. According to Peter Saunders, occupation-based class had lost its importance. He argued that class was now restructured based on the people able to satisfy their consumption needs on their own or those who were insecurely dependant upon state provision. Consumerist culture now influenced and shaped identity. In the contemporary society, income and work form the basis for identity. Increased inequality in the income and the wealth of the people is responsible for the social class. Social exclusion of those who have very remote chances of getting into or getting back to work, and low, insecure incomes creates uncertainty. Economic pressures could not make them sense work-related identities. Men without regular work or irregular earnings classified themselves as ‘self-employed’ to cover up their sense of insecurity. Poverty, inequality, social class, social exclusion, consumerist attitude are all relative terms. These lead to a multi-cultural society but such a society has only created uncertainties and insecurities about identity. Part B New social movements in the 1960s brought about new endeavors to shape and give voice to new identities. Such moves not only challenged the traditional constraints and oppression but also at the same time highlighted the positive features of the group. Through individual and collective action, it is possible to redefine and reconstruct identities but there are constraints. Social structures can be influenced but within limits. Structures are deeply embedded in our contemporary culture, economy, and society. Economic circumstances, changes in employment, poverty, racism, lack of recognition of the ethnic or national identities may deny us the identity that we would like to have. Gender and occupation too prevent us from taking the identity we want. Even the physical body puts constraints on what we are able to achieve. People reconstruct their identities within the constraints of poverty. Through collective action, people are able to reshape the social structures, which restrict them. Identities can be seen and generated in our daily interactions. Kobena Mercer focuses on the uncertainties and the diversities that characterize the modern society. Large-scale migration of people, social and technological changes has increased uncertainty. Migration leads to changes in the ethnic patterns, adoption of hybrid identities and formation of new cultural backgrounds. These give a wider choice to people adopt new identities. Identities are relational. Hence, when one ethnic group makes a claim of a particular identity some others become unstable. Avtar Brah argues that it is important to pay attention to differences between people and also to what they have common across the boundaries especially in relation to race, social class and gender. With the changing times, there is both uncertainty and diversity in identity in relation to migration, ethnicity, workplace or occupation and gender. People beyond boundaries of race and ethnicity experience uncertainty. This in turn is characterized by continuity and change. This leads to social inequality. Ethnicity should be considered as a part of the social structure and this gives it the shape. This shape is produced by social processes, in which the racial and ethnic differences and identities are constructed. People have multiple identities and these lead to diversity. This results in tension between the individual and the social. Had everyone been considered to belong to some ethnic group no conflict would arise. The tension builds when minorities are categorized into a particular group and given an identity. The ‘whites’, for example, in contemporary UK are considered outside the purview of any ethnic group. Even if everyone belonged to a particular ethnic group, the tension then would be which group is more powerful. Majority rules or has the power, which gives rise to power inequalities. Definition of poverty, meanings of gender, class, and ethnicity are all represented through culture. Thus, we see the importance of culture, as also how important it is for an individual to identify himself with the culture. How others see us and how we see ourselves is produced through culture. The victim may challenge these representations and this creates tension in an effort to redefine the social structure. Uncertainties exist not merely at the national level but also at the level of specific localities. While social structures redefine identities, they also act as constraints. The interrelationship between the personal and the social involves negotiation. At the personal level, they can reshape their bodies, challenge tradition; they transform their bodies and create new identity. They change lifestyles and develop themselves as individuals. Through collective action, people reshape the social structure that shapes them. Uncertainties can be a response to change and to the opportunity for diversity that are available. There is no continuity. Times keep changing and so does the situation, thoughts and lifestyles. There is always tension between the personal and social, between the agency and the constraints of the social structure. All these lead to uncertainties but there is always a potential for reconstruction. Read More