"For me the most interesting question is
when, why, how, and uder what historical and sociocultural circumstances
people have started talking about their identies (I think it happend rather
recently: no more than 80-100 years or even more recently)."
There is a good book by Charles Taylor on this subject entitled _Sources of
the Self_ (1989) in which he traces the emergence of the notions of self and
identity in early modern philosophy, developed and brought into fruition (if
not its current form) by the Romantics.
I agree, Eugene, that the interesting questions have to do with the
historical _dimension_ of them, but for me, that doesn't require that I don't
use the term. The concept of a stable individual or even national identity
has powerful ideological consequences--inspiring people to collective action,
war, defense against natural disasters, and what not. Likewise, for those
who are victimized by negative characterizations of their identities--whether
women, African Americans, or gays, to name a few--there is a powerful
movement in reclaiming them with more positively valued traits.
This is not to say that these identities are stable or 'real' in some
ontological sense--in fact, it may be their irreal, unstable, and unfixed
quality that helps to make "identities" such a perennially contested domain
within human social practices and of such importance in a variety of
contexts.
Bill Penuel
___________________
PreventionInventions
PO Box 40692
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 297-5923