Some San Jose State political science experts think embracing people’s individual social and cultural identities in politics can help the country become more politically unified.
The term “identity politics” refers to groups of people with a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social or cultural identity who tend to promote their specific interests or concerns without regard to any larger political group, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
Political science professor Melinda Jackson said many people view identity politics negatively and it's important to be aware of the context it’s used in.
“It’s often used negatively by people who feel it’s divisive or prioritize the interest of one group over others,” Jackson said in a Zoom call.
Jackson, an expert in public opinion and voting behavior, said a good example of this is the commission created by former president Donald Trump intended to influence how children learn about U.S. history in schools.
Trump released a Nov. 2 executive order that established the advisory 1776 Commission.
The order tasks schools with highlighting positive portrayals of U.S. history, but doesn’t make demands about what schools specifically teach, according to a Nov. 2 Education Week article.
The 1776 Commission was part of Trump’s promise to promote “patriotic education.”
The order also directs federal agencies to monitor schools’ compliance with a federal law requiring schools to offer educational programs about the U.S. Constitution each year on Sept. 17, according to the same Education Week article.
Jackson said the rise of identity politics and a “bitterness” toward the reality that the U.S. is and has been systemically marginalizing have distorted perceptions about the nation.
She said Trump’s insistence on viewing events in America’s history as somehow unpatriotic or un-American is dangerous and implies that to be patriotic is to praise anything the country does.
Political science lecturer Donna Crane said in her experience, identity politics is used to diminish power from historically underrepresented groups.
“You don’t hear about straight white men being accused of playing identity politics when they hold a majority of seats in Congress,” Crane said in an email. “Yet, why do women who are demanding President [Joe] Biden appoint more women judges always need to play identity politics?”
Jackson said now there are more open discussions about racial inequality, social justice and economic inequality that may be uncomfortable but are necessary.
“Although it’s not new, the year 2020 made the visibility of political conflicts greater,” Jackson said.
Political science lecturer Kristina Mitchell said rejecting identity politics is not the answer to unifying the nation, but rather citizens must acknowledge and embrace it as the reality of politics.
“It’s all about which identities we are paying attention to and that has changed over time,” Mitchell said in a phone call.
Mitchell, who has expertise in American politics, said political scientists have studied the way people vote and whether they look to leaders who share descriptive characteristics with themselves.
“Identity politics is not something that will go away and many movements are centered around identity,” Mitchell said.
She said over the last few years, there’s been a lot of focus on what identities divide people.
In order to unify the nation, Mitchell said people need to learn how to respect one another’s identities and to appreciate their similarities.
Jackson also shared this sentiment.
“Being able to disagree without hating each other is very important,” she said. “We are all people and we all have identities. To accept that rather than fight whose identity is better is the key moving forward.”
