Socially constructed identities are utilized to identify who we are and to oppress individuals, especially if they do not conform to those identities or are coming from an intersecting identity. Sometimes on the journey to establish identity and sense of self battles are faced in terms of oppression, acceptance, and silence. All of these variables, in accordance with intersectionality, can make it very difficult for someone to identify themselves or for others to identify them. When an individual comes from an intersecting identity, just like in Zami and Redefining Realness, they often are searching for acceptance and struggle with silence as the origin of their oppression is not as apparent if that intersectionality was not present or as potent. …show more content…
Socially constructed identities can often make those that don't fit within those identities feel alienated, like an outside, or that they have to conform to society’s idea of what their identity is supposed to. Often, these constructed identities do not include identities that intersect. In Audre Lorde’s “Age, Race, Class and Sex” she talks about how those who are oppressed have “to be watchers, to be familiar with the language and manners of the oppressor, even sometimes adopting them for some illusion of protection” in order to survive. We can see this happening when Mock says, “hiding myself for that brief period allowed me to operate under a guise of normality that made me feel temporarily secure” (Mock 98). Mock, continually struggled, to find her true identity by trying to conform to what society told her was acceptable and this would change based on whose acceptance she was seeking. For instance, when she thought her femininity led her Mother to leave her, she began to be as masculine as possible by bulking up, keeping her hair short, and playing catch (Mock 98). These actions show us that Mock felt as though,in order to keep her Mother around, she had to conform to what society portrayed her identity to be, and not her own for free of repercussions affecting her Mother and their
Brent May 31, 2023 5a The Greasers: A Band of Brothers Identity is the notion of how one perceives their own-self as well as how they believe others perceive them; whether good or bad identity is an important part of life and acceptance of that identity is crucial to find happiness. Ponyoby Curtis from the novel The Outsiders by S.E Hinton has a hard time deciding which identity he finds more important; whether it's his family or his academic standards, or his gang and their stereotypes. In the end however, Ponyboy realizes that his group identity is more important to him than how he thinks of himself. To begin, Ponyboy's self-identity constructs his personality and his emotions, and how others view him.
Over the course of the novel Ordinary People, Conrad Jarrett has struggled to find his own identity. Judith Guest starts this novel off with an awkward relationship between Conrad, his mother, Beth, and his father, Calvin. After the passing of his brother Buck, Conrad goes into a super-deep depression. There are many people who have had a significant impact on Conrad throughout this novel, Karen, Lazenby, and Dr. Berger, all play a crucial role in Conrad finding his true identity. Through the ups and the downs of this novel Judith Guest has shown us what it was like as if we were in the Jarrett family.
When examining racial identity in America, it can be said that it has become institutionalized. It shows up in our everyday life, appearing in both the sociopolitical and economic spheres of life. America has demonstrated an obsession with categorizing people on the basis of their race, and has imposed these ideas on immigrants who come to live in this country. Many immigrants, especially from Latin America, have different notions of race, and may not share the same ideas as Americans. Their opinions may vary because of many factors, such as familial or societal influence.
Intersectionality recognizes that our identities are multifaceted and interconnected and that oppression and privilege operate in complex ways. The idea of marked and unmarked categories is a significant aspect of intersectionality, particularly concerning race, class, and gender. Understanding these categories' dynamics helps us recognize how some identities are deemed normal and natural, while others are stigmatized or
I am an international student from Vietnam who came to the United States to pursue higher education. I was brought up in a very unique culture and family traditions, and this has had a strong influence on my beliefs and mindsets. Together with all the experiences that I have been through so far in my life, I have formed some social and personal identities that I might or might be aware of. Such identifies are an important tool that can stay with me and remind me every day of who I am and my origin.
The background of my cultural identity I am an African American female but that isn’t all there is to know me for. I am an African American girl who is very interactive with my religion and also my culture. Cultural identity can be hard to explain because some people don’t know what’s really in their culture and they fail to see , and understand it. I know what my cultural identity is because of my ethiopian flag, the baked macaroni, and the movie the lion king.
Racial identity plays a role in the physical and psychological features of humans. Physically, humans in different parts of the globe endure different conditions and environments. Humans adapt to their environments and obtain different physical traits, henceforth, these physical traits have become adjacent to race. Psychologically, ancestral prejudices and influences throughout history have lingered through the generations and have impacted modern racial identities and tensions. Ethnic conflicts of the past such as the Social Darwinist theory of a "superior race" are morally refuted in current times, but that assumption had a brunt impact in which the world is still repairing today.
Everyone defines and identifies themselves in different ways. Whether it’s by our names, our religion, or our sexuality, we all have something different that make us unique and that we identify ourselves as. In Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use,” an African American woman tells the story of her daughter Dee’s long awaited visit. Upon her arrival the mother and her other daughter, Maggie, discover some drastic changes in Dee: she has changed her name to Wangero, she has also arrived with a mysterious man who calls himself Asalamalakim, and has adopted an African style of dress; all of this in an effort to depict what she sees as her heritage. During the course of her visit, Dee tries to take several items important to her family’s heritage.
“Cultivating Positive Identity” by Laura Morgan emphasizes the importance of a positive identity. People do their best work when they feel good about themselves. That is “positive identity” and it helps people focus and perform better. Cultivating positive identities is not just about inflating people's sense of self-worth;rather it is helping them identify the personal characteristics that help the operate at their best, in ways that also valued by others.
Modern Society and Brave New World Community, Identity, Stability. These are the ideas that are thrown at you from the very beginning of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. However, it is quite ironic that this is the motto chosen to represent the world state. Community is understood to be a group of diverse individuals coming together as one, yet in brave new world they predestine their citizens and sort them into different castes. Identity is understood to show individualism, yet the caste system limits anyone’s capability to be an individual.
The development of America brought the introduction to new ideas, experiences and different cultures coming together. Both non-European and European groups of people traveled and settled into this new world to find new land to conquer or find salvation. Many of these groups faced hardships coming into this new world, as they soon learned their differences would define them. The British would be deemed superior to their religion, ethics, and skin color would dominate the perception of the “true” American. The Irish and African Americans were two groups that came to America in hopes for better opportunities and a life they could build without hardship.
In Aldous Huxley’s book, Brave New World, an unimaginable dystopia has been created. The World State was formed on three principles: community, identity, and stability. These three principles dictate how members of this society live and interact with one another. In modern society, there is an emphasis on the importance of motherhood, commitment, and countless other ideals that are rejected in the World State. Throughout the novel, the principle of community is shown with castes and hypnopaedic slogans, such as everybody belongs to everybody else.
Self-identity is defined as the recognition of one's potential and qualities as an individual, especially in relation to social context. In other words, self-understanding. Finding self-identity is more more difficult for some people than others. In the autobiography Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self by Rebecca Walker, the author reflects on her identity as a mixed raced individual which is illustrated through Walker’s reflections. People define themselves in many different ways.
While identity focuses on uniqueness such as how an individual is different from and similar to others, diversity focuses on the range of the difference and uniqueness such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, among others. Diversity should be seen as source of strength. However, it can also be a source of violence, oftentimes by those who fear or dislike difference. In the best light diversity is foundation for peacebuilding – since it enables us to draw strength and be respectful of difference. Identity and diversity are linked.
This world has been going through globalization for thousands of years. Just as the current globalization happening so as to the number of people migrating every year. Each year millions of people migrated from their country and relocate in a new place aside from their home country. There are different kind of reasons people are migrated from one place to another. Apart from immigrants, workers, marriages, and many other migrating groups of people, students known as international students are taking their education abroad.