IDENTITIES MATTER

Personally and Socially

Abstract

My/your and our/their personal and social identities, constructed and imagined, are inextricably intertwined and they matter in the way we live, move and have our being. Identities of self and others are plural by nature and the different strands that make up identities include but not limited to sex, colour, race, ethnicity, ancestry, class, (socioeconomic educational and professional status), nationality, etc. We learn about our own identity and the identity of others through interactions with family, peers, organizations, institutions, media and other connections we make in our everyday life, and they play significant roles in determining how we understand and experience the world, as well as shaping the types of opportunities and challenges we face. By the given and assumed identities we belong to corresponding communities, which are also interlinked. That we belong to a community also excludes us from other communities. Seeing similarities and differences of my/your and our/their identities unfortunately contribute to create hierarchies and discriminations, rather than leading to the realisation that we are part of each other and the identities of self and other are inextricably intertwined. The plurality of images of identity and alterity brought by the developments of global transportation and information technology, political, religious and economic immigration and emigration, and the search for safety and investment opportunities have great impacts upon the power relations among individuals, ethnic and religious communities, institutions, governments, etc. nationally, regionally and globally.