The Identity in Question

The words "identity", "diversity", "multiculturalism", and "Eurocentrism" have become familiar to us through a process of political and cultural transformation. In the United States, a great national debate rages over fears that the country will fall apart and sacrifice its free speech to "political correctness". In Europe, a related discussion has focused on the resurgence of xenophobia and ethnic nationalism. Undoubtedly, these debates touch on issues which, after the collapse of Cold War geopolitics, are likely to remain with us for some time. "The Identity in Question" provides a theoretical analysis of this issue and the questions it raises about critical theory. The contributors to this collection look behind the familiar words of the discourse to rethink notions of universality and agency and the traditions of liberalism, nationalism and pluralism. They investigate the meanings of democracy and "radical democracy". They also ask how such notions relate to questions of sexual orientation. More generally, the book explores how the new critical theories and methods that have taken shape over the last 20 years figure in these debates, along with their conceptions of "otherness".