Identity Politics, Justice, and the Quest for Solidarity

Abstract:This article situates arguments against identity politics within a broader context of philosophical and political arguments about identity and the subject. One pervasive argument is that identity politics is a key factor working against social solidarity in a pluralistic democracy. In order to contest this claim, I use the work of feminist theorists who address a persistent bias against collective identity in Western philosophical thought. Finally, I argue that the practice of social solidarity requires not jettisoning identity, but re-conceptualizing identity in terms of narrative, which can serve as a basis for understanding one's moral responsibility to others.