Published: 13 December 2022
Last updated: 5 March 2024
What is identity politics and why is it a problem for Jews and Israel? JASMINE BEINART explains.
Racism and bigotry are increasingly seen as beyond the pale, particularly in progressive environments such as universities.
But at the same time Jews are experiencing increasing antisemitism on social media and on university campuses.
How do we account for this seeming paradox? Why is it that Jews are so often not believed, and even portrayed as victimisers, when they speak out about antisemitism?
Identity politics is at the root of this clash of worldviews. “Identity politics” is a loaded term, but generally refers to understanding power through issues that pertain to one’s identity, rather than organising around belief systems or shared values.
Identity politics are not new. The term has been used since the 1970s and during the 1980s politics of identity became more prominent and was connected to a new wave of political activism.
But in the 21st century, progressive politics has become dominated by essentialisation, the attribution of specific characteristics to everyone within a group and the presumed hegemony of certain people based on their belonging to certain groups.
Identity politics posits a “hierarchy of oppressions”, which categorises people based on their status of victimhood, a simplified worldview where people are either oppressed or oppressors. Blacks, women, LGBTQ+ and disabled people are victims; Whites, Men, cisgendered, heterosexual and able-bodied people are oppressors.
There are serious practical and theoretical problems here. The idea of hierarchy of oppressions imagines that we each only have one coherent social identity.
What is known as “intersectionality” was supposed to address these problems. Intersectionality acknowledges that everyone has unique experiences of discrimination and oppression. It takes into account various parts of someone’s identity, including gender, race, class, and age.
