IDENTITY AND IDENTITY POLITICS: CONCEPTUALIZATION OF PHENOMENA THROUGH THE PRISM OF CONSTRUCTIVISM

Abstract

The concept of identity and identity politics through the prism of the constructivist approach is considered. It is found out that the issue of national identity is becoming topical in the context of globalization. It is determined that the mechanism of identity protection at the level of nation-states is the formation and implementation of identity politics by government institutions. It is noted that, despite the absence of a unified approach to the study and analysis of identity and identity politics, the constructivist paradigm is one of the most powerful modern tools for studying these phenomena. The interdisciplinary nature of the concept of identity, its borrowing from social psychology and further development within political science, philosophy, sociology are highlighted. The polysemy of the concept of identity is identified. The features of the phenomena of identity and identity politics in the theories of researchers-constructivists are highlighted. The discursive nature of identity, in particular national ones, is defined. It is determined that the identity appears as a product of short-lived discourses that are struggling for power. The role of national governments in constructing identity and implementation of the identity politics is emphasized. The goals of the institutions of power in the context of identity politics are substantiated. The significance of the opposition «We – They», «friend – enemy» in the identity politics is substantiated. The role of symbols, rituals, mass ceremonies within the identity politics, which is a component of symbolic politics, is established. It is proved that the identity politics is based on the development of cultural meanings, in particular historical, geographical and other data, national memory, collective myths, as well as taking into account the specific context, indicating the constructed nature of identity and implementation of the relevant politics.