What Does Identity Mean The stable and fixed

What Does “Identity” Mean? • The stable and fixed aspects of selfhood: things that you check off on census forms such as. . . –Race or ethnicity –Nationality –Social class –Gender –Age

Identity is an accomplishment, not a thing. Identity is fragmentary and in flux. People change identities to suit the needs of the moment. Identities are. . . –Stable features of persons that exist prior to any particular situation. AND –Dynamic and situated accomplishments, enacted through talk, and changing from one occasion to the next.

Four Kinds of Identities Master identities Interactional identities Personal identities Relational identities

Master identities. . . the one geographers are most interested in -are relatively stable and unchanging: gender ethnicity age national and regional origins The meanings of master identities change across time and space. – “Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak … you will nevertheless find me a rock that bends to no wind. ” – Queen Elizabeth I speaking to a French ambassador

Interactional identities. . – refer to roles that people take on in a communicative context with specific other people. For instance, Joey is my next door neighbor Dan’s oldest child, he works for Glass Nickel Pizza, he is friends with my daughter Jenni, he shares an apartment with some buddies from high school.

Personal identities. . . – are expected to be relatively stable and unique. – refers ways in which people talk and behave toward others: hotheaded, honest, forthright, reasonable, overbearing, a gossip, a brown-nose. Personal identities are frequently contested.

Relational identities. . . -refer to the kind of relationship that a person enacts with a particular conversational partner in a specific situation. Relational identities are negotiated from moment to moment and are highly variable. Think of how you treat different friends and relatives. How you deal with a teacher or administrator based on a specific situation (student of the month vs. in trouble).

Identity, whether on an individual, social, or institutional level, is something that we are constantly building and negotiating throughout our lives through our interaction with others. – Joanna Thornborrow. (2004). Language and identity. In Language, society and power.

The focus on an individual’s freedom to manipulate a flexible system of identities fails to adequately take into account that some identities – notably race and caste –are imposed and coercively applied. There are political economic constraints on processes of identity-making. – Paul Kroskrity. (2000). Identity. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 9(1 -2), 111 -114.

ID Language factors National and/or regional – Shared participation in literacy activities/vocabulary Ethnic – Language use: heritage languages – Discursive practices (various dialects) in African-American or traditionalism and purism in Arizona (Tewa) Social class and/or rank – Working class neighborhoods in Belfast demonstrate strong loyalty to class through pronunciation.

other ID factors of language Professional – Examples include the specialist vocabularies of doctors and lawyers, and the Socratic discourse style of lawyers. Gender – Transgender and queer identities are indexed by discursive practices that challenge binary gender. Age – Discursive practices and language varieties index social ages, such as teenager or elder.

how to create id between cultures Code-switching may be used to achieve two things: – to fill a linguistic/conceptual gap, or -to establish an identity different from one that can exist in either language. Sometimes I'll start a sentence in Spanish y termino en español

how to create id between cultures Language crossing is the use of a language which isn't generally thought to ‘belong’ to the speaker. -involves a sense of movement across quite sharply felt social or ethnic boundaries, and -it raises issues of legitimacy that participants need to reckon with in the course of their encounter.

“Black youth language creates an aura of toughness and street smarts. Essentially, it has become a prestige language for today’s youth just as hip hop fashions and music have come to dominate adolescent buying habits. ” Crossing allows young people to: -experiment with alternative identities -has the potential for breaking down ethnic barriers by creating new forms of youth culture The potential for this sort of development among the droves of white hip hop fans in suburbia exists even in the face of substantial opposition from other whites and blacks. C. A. Cutler (1999). Yorkville Crossing: Whiteteens, hip hop, and African . American English. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 3(4) 428 -442

Power Relationships Paul Dumont, University of Strasbourg • The Individual, whether he wishes to or not, fits into a network of power relationships which is often very complex. – This is true for each individual, whether he is holds a position of authority or is subjected to it, whether he has the means to impose his wish upon those who are dependent on him, or whether he is obliged to hedge between the different forces which try to impose themselves on him. – The place which he occupies in this network is indicated by a certain number of markers which define, in a symbolic manner, both his individual identity and his position as regards authority and prestige.

Typical Markers of Power Relationships 1) Surname. Each person is identified, at first, by his surname. This surname has, almost always, in itself a meaning. 2) Genealogy. This places the individual in relation to his real or imagined roots. 3) Titles. These can be extremely elaborate - especially when dealing with a sovereign or someone who holds local political power - as they can he reduced to one word such as king, prince, duke etc. In all cases, however, the titles are very important indications of which place is occupied or claimed by the individuals in the power network.

Typical Markers of Power Relationships 4) The symbols of Power (or of humility). In order to indicate their position as regards authority individuals have a series of symbolic tools: signatures, monograms, seals, pennants, standards, plumes, armory, headgear, etc. Humility has, in the same way, its own distinctive signs - homespun garments, clothes of certain colors etc. One of the questions which arises in relation to these symbols concerns finding out how they were used to mobilize people, to indicate belonging, to change or manipulate mentalities, or to indicate social, ethnic and religious divisions. One could be interested in them, more simply, for what they say about the symbols of power (or the absence of power). 5) Marking out territory. In order to affirm his identity and to occupy, with dignity, the place which he believes is rightfully his in the power network, the individual also endeavours, in so much as is possible, to mark his territory. This may simply mean building a nice house for his family, or building palaces, religious buildings, fountains, hospitals, gardens, etc. Height is a common marker (chairs, dais, etc. )

Typical Markers of Power Relationships 6) Material environment. Individuals, depending on whether they are rich or poor, powerful or weak, stand out due to their lifestyle and their consumption of different material goods. One of the most meaningful ways an individual has of placing himself in society, of claiming his place, or, frequently, letting his wish to climb the social ladder be known, is his lifestyle. 7) The Individual and the hereafter. Certain studies have also been carried out on the lay-out of cemeteries, underlining the relations between the location of graves and the hierarchical structuring of the society of the living. It must however be noted that a cemetery, and the lay-out of stones, proposes a fixed vision of the world, while our research is based, in reality, on situations which are constantly changing.

Typical Markers of Power Relationships 8) Memory. Finally it is necessary to underline that the individual identity is, for a good part, made up of everything that the human being has gathered in his memory throughout his existence. Memory, we know, is eminently selective. In order to try to bring the elements which the individual keeps from his past and those of his ancestors to the fore would imply trying to see how the individual identity takes root and how each person is put together. Is a person put together due to what he has experienced or due to what he has learned? Individual memory, like collective memory from which it borrows a lot and of which it is a component - is fragile and vulnerable. It can be manipulated, adjusted, reduced.

• Throughout the course of his life each human being is constantly changing, as are the markers which define him as a person and indicate his position in power relationships. An adolescent or an elderly person only rarely occupies the same position, as regards authority, as a middle-aged man. • …it is often the case that the individual moves across the social fabric, either by changing status (for example, a slave becoming a free man), by climbing, one by one, the rungs of the career ladder, or by finding himself faced with failure and downfall. • It will also be necessary to take into account the number of identities which one individual can have. A keeper of public order can also be, on his own time, a thief. A renegade may have strong links with his original religion. A man of honor, who does nothing but good in his town, may be seen as a vulgar crook by his superiors.

Types of Power Legitimate power, also called "Positional power, " it is the power of an individual because of the relative position and duties of the holder of the position within an organization. It is usually accompanied by various attributes of power such as uniforms, offices etc. This is the most obvious and also the most important kind of power. Referent power is the power or ability of individuals to attract others and build loyalty. It's based on the charisma and interpersonal skills of the power holder. A person may be admired because of specific personal trait, and this admiration creates the opportunity for interpersonal influence.

Types of Power Reward power depends on the ability of the power wielder to confer valued material rewards, it refers to the degree to which the individual can give others a reward of some kind such as benefits, time off, desired gifts, promotions or increases in pay or responsibility. Coercive power is the application of negative influences. It includes the ability to demote or to withhold other rewards. The desire for valued rewards or the fear of having them withheld that ensures the obedience of those under power. Coercive power tends to be the most obvious but least effective form of power as it builds resentment and resistance from the people who experience it. Threats and punishment are common tools of coercion.

Types of Power Expert power is an individual's power deriving from the skills or expertise of the person and the organization's needs for those skills and expertise. Unlike the others, this type of power is usually highly specific and limited to the particular area in which the expert is trained and qualified. When you have knowledge and skills that enable you to understand a situation, suggest solutions, use solid judgment, and generally outperform others, people will have reason to listen to you. Questions for thought: 1. Give typical markers for people with legitimate power. 2. Can reward power be more demeaning than coercive power? 3. Which types of power are most dynamic/static? 4. Do different tasks require different types of power? 5. Generally, do the best leaders use different types of power or is their authority based only in one area?

Alvin Toffler's Powershift • argues that the three main kinds of power are violence, wealth, and knowledge. Each successive kind of power represents a more flexible kind of power. Violence can only be used negatively, to punish. Wealth can be used both negatively (by withholding money) and positively (by advancing/spending money). Knowledge can be used in these ways but, additionally, can be used in a transformative way. Such examples are, sharing knowledge on agriculture to ensure that everyone is capable of supplying himself and his family of food; Allied nations with a shared identity forming with the spread of religious or political philosophies, or one can use knowledge as a tactical/strategic superiority in Intelligence (information gathering). • argues that the very nature of power is currently shifting. Throughout history, power has often shifted from one group to another; however, at this time, the dominant form of power is changing. During the Industrial Revolution, power shifted from a nobility acting primarily through violence to industrialists and financiers acting through wealth. Of course, the nobility used wealth just as the industrial elite used violence, but the dominant form of power shifted from violence to wealth. Today, a The Third Wave (Toffler) of shifting power is taking place with wealth being overtaken by knowledge.

Unfortunately life is not like cartoons, where the good and bad guys are easily defined, marked, and noticeable. Power relationships are neither good or bad; the matter is much more complex. Assess: How you deal with authority and authority figures is more important in professional life than your abilities and skills.

Your Power Relationships Get with two other people and develop as many ideas as you can in this format Individuals RELATIONSHI P BETWEEN SYMBOLS/ MARKERS TRADE-OFFS Local National Global