The Politics of Identity, the Identity of Politics: Thinking with Badiou and Táíwò

Abstract

One cannot wade through an academic journal in the social sciences or humanities, read an Op-Ed essay, or listen to a political podcast without coming across a discussion on the relationship of identity and politics. Whether it is a discussion on the concept and merits of ‘identity politics’, the relationship between particular experiences and universalist aspirations for emancipation, or paths toward reform or revolution, these issues elicit strong responses. Two recent books broach these topics in a clarifying manner and deserve to be compared, contrasted, and analyzed. These books are Alain Badiou’s (2022a) A New Dawn for Politics and Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò’s (2022a) Elite Capture: How The Powerful Took Over Identity Politics (And Everything Else). Thinking through the key themes in these works can help academics and activists alike elaborate a systematic vision and idea on how identity relates to radical, anti-systemic politics. To begin, this essay focuses on the politics of identity. I explore the intellectual traditions from which Táíwò gathers his critique and defense of particular politics of identity. I then juxtapose Táíwò’s thoughts on identity to Badiou’s position, highlighting their tensions and possible compatibly. Next, I clarify both Táíwò and Badiou’s attempts to identify and define an act of authentic, radical politics. It attempts to discern how both scholars conceptualize a form of emancipatory, anti-systemic politics that are capable of allowing one’s identity to be a part of the struggle for equality, rather than discarded as a reactionary husk. Finally, I show how both scholars’ ideas speak to other domains of critical scholarship and our current moment of political uprising and upheaval.