A Culture of Identity Choice: Assertions of Mixed Race, Transgender, and Other Identities and the Implications for Politics |
Stanford University
Black Community Services Center
The Brandon Room
Wednesday, 2016-05-18, 12:00 PDT (Local Time)
Natalie Masuoka, Associate Professor of Political Science
Tufts University
While Americans have always connected with different social identities, today we find the assertions of identities such as “biracial,” “swirlies,” “boi,” and “transwomen” to be particularly significant. What is notable about these types of identities is that they communicate a person’s preferred self-identification relating to individual features historically understood as rigid and inherent. Masuoka argues that Americans today increasingly embrace a culture of, what she calls, identity choice in the United States. In today’s post-Civil Rights context, Americans increasingly believe and accept the idea that individuals can choose identities that were once seen as immutable. This presentation will trace the historical developments that have led to this new cultural perspective and offer a discussion about the possible political implications.
This talk is part of the 2015-16 RICSRE Seminar Series Spotlight on Race and Politics, co-sponsored by the Institute on the Politics of Inequality, Race, and Ethnicity at Stanford (InsPIRES). The event is also co-sponsored by the American Politics Workshop, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and the Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
For more information, click here.
Tags: Natalie Masuoka, Stanford University