Identity politics
Identity politics is defined as a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these identities. While the term originated from the need to reshape movements that had until then prioritized the monotony of sameness over the value of difference.
For example, the “second wave” feminist movement fought for body autonomy, pushed for women’s equality and demanded that women be treated as human beings. However, similar to the first wave of feminism, centered around women’s suffrage and gaining the right to vote, white women became the default standard for all women. This then made it seem like the change desired was progress for white women and not all women.
Identity politics is deeply connected with the oppression of some groups in society and analyses that oppression. The term is used primarily to describe political movements in western societies, covering nationalist, multicultural, women’s rights, civil rights, and LGBT movements.
Identity politics has been a major driving force behind social progress and is seen as a step in the creation of more inclusive and fair nations.
However when it comes to identity politics, it can lead some political figures to overemphasise the importance of identity in the greater scheme of politics and in summary it can be used by politicians to get votes by exploiting identity politics.
Culture wars
A culture war is a cultural conflict between social groups and the struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs, and practices.
These movements can be viewed as being psoitively impactful as people are fighting for change and what they believe in however some disagree and critisize the idea that the concept is artificial, imposed, or asymmetric, rather than a result of authentic differences between cultures.
Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_politics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_war
https://viriatovb.medium.com/identity-politics-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-d387f2eb876c
https://belonging.berkeley.edu/identity-politics-friend-or-foe