HolyFoolRussianArchetype
31st May 2012, 04:29
Let me first explain my understanding of these terms.
Class is ones relationship to means of production; whether you own means of production and profit off of it or whether you can only sell your labor power on a market to survive. Class is your interest in society, to abolish private property or to preserve the current state of things.
Identity is the way we think about ourselves, who we are and our differences from others. The things that define us. Identity would commonly include things like sex, gender, age, ability, ethnicity, etc.
Are my definitions basically correct? Is anything incomplete or incorrect? Is class, or can it ever be, an identity? Do some use the word "nationalism" or "nationality" where others, perhaps because of differing tendencies, would use the word "identity"? Do individuals of the same identity, considered as a group, constitute a class in the Marxist sense? Do they have interests in common within their class, or interests in common outside of and transcending their class?
What is identity politics? I have heard it said that identity politics is "using identity as an organisational point or principle". What exactly does that mean?
What is class reductionism? From the context I would imagine this means trying to blame all oppressions of identities on capitalism, or resulting from the mode of production.
Class is ones relationship to means of production; whether you own means of production and profit off of it or whether you can only sell your labor power on a market to survive. Class is your interest in society, to abolish private property or to preserve the current state of things.
Identity is the way we think about ourselves, who we are and our differences from others. The things that define us. Identity would commonly include things like sex, gender, age, ability, ethnicity, etc.
Are my definitions basically correct? Is anything incomplete or incorrect? Is class, or can it ever be, an identity? Do some use the word "nationalism" or "nationality" where others, perhaps because of differing tendencies, would use the word "identity"? Do individuals of the same identity, considered as a group, constitute a class in the Marxist sense? Do they have interests in common within their class, or interests in common outside of and transcending their class?
What is identity politics? I have heard it said that identity politics is "using identity as an organisational point or principle". What exactly does that mean?
What is class reductionism? From the context I would imagine this means trying to blame all oppressions of identities on capitalism, or resulting from the mode of production.