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Thursday, 8 January 2015

What is identity?

Social Identity (Key Ideas),
Richard Jenkins, Routledge, 2014, page 19

In a chapter, "Similarity and Difference", Richard Jenkins explains:

Identity is our understanding of who we are and who other people are, and, reciprocally, other people's understanding of themselves and of others (which includes us). It is a very practical matter, synthesising relationships of similarity and difference. The outcome of agreement and disagreement, and at least in principle always negotiable, identification is not fixed.

I'm not sure that I'm totally comfortable with that. I've grown kind of used to thinking of identity as being at least part inherited, part fixed and a most significant part calling.

Posted By Jonathan, 9:00am Comment Comments: 1
 
 

Thursday, 8 January 2015
Comment -

what about free will? God gave man free will to choose? Your born into an identity shaped by your parents and the culture they live in. You choose to identify with that or not. You choose to change usually as a part of learning (living life) guided by God, I pray or guided by Satan, I fear or worse, ignorance.

Posted By Harry Steck 05:26am