Rowan Williams and the Politics of Identity

[Marmora Man]

Where the archbishop is right is when he suggests that a one-sided, narrow-focused identity politics can divide people; fragmenting society into separate and often competing identities, values and traditions, each loyal primarily to themselves and with little interest in the wider public good. When diversity is prioritised to the exclusion of shared experiences and interests it subverts our common humanity and weakens social solidarity. We all lose out.

Many years ago I campaigned against Peter Tatchell (and his moustache) and in favour of Simon Hughes. Over time I have grown to respect Peter Tatchell for his robust and common sense stance on a number of issues (except his desire to "out" homosexuals who prefer to remain private) and come to despise Simon Hughes for his opportunist and incoherent politics. I particularly agree with his commentss on Rowan Williams recent statements on the danger of focussing exclusively on identity politics.

Reductio ad absurdum, identity poltics would make the world 7 billion individual statelets with no relationship to or responsbility for any other statelet. How can we find a way that allows and recognises the individual's individuality without having to break up a larger community in doing so. Ghettos of all kinds should be abhorred and the joining together of factions welcomed.

[????]

Bit of a wide question MM?

Was last night's result in Bradford a result of "Identity politics"? discuss

RE - Simon Hughes, 'orrible hypocrite. The smearing Tatchell got in that By-Election was disgusting (makes me feel very old that I can remember it well :'(). The irony being that apparently Tatchell isn't really gay and Hughes is...

[uncleglen]

Wasn't Tatchell exposed as a member of Militant (as well as being a Kiwi and gay), which seemed to me at the time to be the overwhelming decider in favour of Hughes?

[alice]

bob mellish

[nashoi]

"How can we find a way that allows and recognises the individual's individuality without having to break up a larger community in doing so."

Isn't the answer to the above just modern human rights thinking? In recent years I've heard Tatchell say he has stopped calling himself a gay rights activist, instead he now prefers human rights activist. Protect the universal rights of the individual and all else flows from there. The reason this doesn't detract from the communal or social good is because of the intrinsic responsibilities.

As for identity, people are increasingly free to chose, so presumably it will become even more diverse in the future. Rowan Williams also said:

"Identity isn't just something sealed off and finished with - it's always work in progress. Once we start saying this is my identity and that's it then I think we are in danger of really fragmenting the society we belong to."