Seminar questions 

1. Does the phrase “identity politics” seem to you to be used in a uniform way across all of the readings? If yes, what is meant by this phrase? If not, what are the different meanings in play? 

2. Based on your reading of Kwame Anthony Appiah’s discussion of identity and identification, do you think the “L”, to use his terms, (or Lness) emerges when we assign a label or is it that the L already exists and the label simply identifies Lness?

2a. What do you then make of his comments on “authenticity” in self-identification (esp. p.107)? 

3. Denise Riley’s chapter has a very specific style. What do you make of this? What functions might such a style perform? (Let’s imagine she’s not just making it difficult for the sake of it…) 

4. Have a think about David Valentine’s chapter. Does his position seem clearly either for or against “identity”?