to swear, to have large tattoos or. to be overtly sexua

1
What is Identity?

• According to Jenkins identity is a negotiable
  concept

• Traditional view of identity a fixed, solid,
  stable view
• pre-defined (accepted roles and myths)
• uncontroversial (no 'identity crises')

• Postmodern view of identity
• unstable, a myth or illusion
• fragmented
• lacking depth or substance

• Modern view of identity
• self-reflexive (we can examine, criticise and
  change our identity)
• unfixed
• influenced by the response of others
• a project to be worked on

2
How do we acquire identity?

• We acquire our identity through socialisation
• Socialisation is the process by which we, as
  individuals, become members of our society or
  culture.
• We are active participants in this process we
  decide what to accept or reject

Parents choose your name, give you your first
beliefs, tastes etc
Peers in teen years people in your age group
have most influence
Media ideas about gender, status, class picked
up
School learn rules, how to socialise and fit in
with others
Church religion passes on values
3
Which aspect of identity do we express to others?

• Gender
• Class
• Ethnicity
• Personality
• Age

4
In which ways can we express aspects of identity?
Clothing which clothes will we choose to
express our GenderEthnicityClassPost-modernism
Tattoos and piercings sign of the outcast?
Working class? Unfeminine? Post-modern or
tribal?
Language what is considered ladylike in terms
of language? If you want to be seen as male what
vocabulary should you use with mates?
Hair length, colour, texture Gender short
hair on women? On men? Ethnicity cover hair,
cut it? Rebellion? Conformity and fashion?
Personal Possessions how do women use their
mobile phones as security, as fashion
accessory? How do men listen to music?
5
So how is identity constructed?

• We decide whether we will conform or reject
  social norms about things like how we express our
  gender, our class or our ethnicity and we show
  this conformity or resistance in our clothing,
  hair, language and personal possessions
• So, if you were female and non-conformist you
  may choose masculine clothes, shaved head, to
  swear, to have large tattoos or to be overtly
  sexual which expressesyour beliefs (ideology)
  that being feminine is not about having long
  blonde hair, skirts, small butterfly tattoos and
  allowing mento take the sexual initiative

6
How do we decide what to reject or conform to?

• When we are deciding whether to be typically
  feminine, for example, we take our lead from
  role models in our own family, amongst our
  peers, from the media, from our religion
• We either accept or reject these role models so
  if we are a young Muslim woman we are deciding
  whether to conform to our religions idea of
  femininity, our peers, the media or our family or
  maybe a mix of them all a compromise for a
  post-modern identity

Modern/western
Bollywood
Religious/traditional/political
7
Other Identity Choices

• If we are male, we might construct our male
  identity from our peers, from our fathers, from
  footballers, from TV personalities, from
  teachers, the subcultures we belong to, our
  ethnic background etc

Sikh
Metrosexual man
Skinhead/working class
New age tribe
Goth
8
Try this with other identity aspects

• How would this work with your social class? If
  you were working class with whom would you be
  conforming? What choices would you be making,
  about your language, your personal possessions,
  clothing, tattoos etc?
• Is it true that class no longer exists and that
  we cant identify a persons class from their
  clothing, possessions etc any more? If so, is
  this evidence of the post-modern or at least,
  modern identity?

9
Reading References

• Books and articles
• Culture and Identity by Warren Kidd   pages
  24-27, pages 76-78      
• Article Chic Theory by Joanne Finkelstein
• Article The Long and the Short of it by David
  Newnham
• Article The Story of the Sony Walkman