Re: oppositions and identities

Kevin Leander (k-leand who-is-at students.uiuc.edu)
Wed, 14 Apr 1999 12:19:47 -0600

Hi all,

One issue that is being opened up is the extent to which individuals
have agency to construct identities. Bill's note raises the important
issue of what social identities are available to individuals. At the
same time, I heard Peter to be raising the issue of the need to assume
responsibilty/agency, within discussions such as these, toward a social
practice of non-essentialism. At some level, this seems to be tied up
with developing non-oppositional, non-binary modes of thinking, and/or
constructing new metaphors of identity construction. Center/margin
debates likely also need to be reshaped, (perhaps also in community of
practice theory).

Diana Jeater, in discussing her relations and identity (as a white
British woman) with black culture and black political activism:

"I think we need to rethink our metaphors if we are going to find a way
to talk meaningfully about whiteness. [or, insert many common social
categories] 'Center' and 'margin' are not useful metaphors to describe
a 'Third Space'. Where there is a center and margin, there is a circle,
or some kind of enclosed space. And in an enclosed space, there is no
'third space': there is only the center and the margin. The only way
you can move from that to a third space is by an act of will; there is
nothing in the structure of the center and margin itself which can be
transformed into a multi-spatial structure. Homi Bhabba's use of the
idea of 'translation' will perhaps be more fruitful here. But we also
need to rethink our politics and be much more open to the possibility
of a radical white identity that isn't guilty, doesn't eat roast beef,
and isn't trying to be black."

Jeater, D. 1992. Roast beef and reggae music: the passing of whiteness.
<underline>New Formations 18</underline>, 107-21.