Theme 1: Your Identity is Inseparable from Your Group Identity (Part 15)

Excerpt from, “From social justice warrior to Gospel-centered servant of God: An educator’s reflection on critical theory and Christianity” (Linkletter, 2021).

According to Sensoy and DiAngelo (2017) humans are social beings who depend on the humans around them to make sense of the world.

We are all a part of social groups that we are either born into or develop into and they inform the ‘macro norms’ that we view the world through. Our social groups fall within the following categories: race, class, gender, sexuality, ability status/exceptionality, religion, and nationality.

Our identity comes from how we personally identify and view ourselves, how we are identified by others, and how others respond to us based on the macro norms of our social groups (Sensoy and DiAngelo, pp. 43-46). Sociologist Charles Cooley’s (1922) looking glass theory (we learn who we are by understanding who we are not) summarizes this concept of identity well and highlights the binary aspect of identity, too; the idea that we are either/or, we are either in one group or another.

The following quote summarizes how critical theory values group identity over individual identity and how they are inseparable:

If we are resisting the very notion of having to identify ourselves in terms of social groups, such as race or gender, this too provides insight into our collective socialization. In Western society we are socialized to prioritize our individuality. Yet, although we are individuals, we are also – and perhaps fundamentally – members of social groups. These group memberships shape us as profoundly, if not more so, than any unique characteristic we may claim to possess. (Sensoy & DiAngelo, 2017, p. 46).

It is my opinion that when reading literature from authors who ascribe to critical theory, such as Audre Lorde, Jean Stefancic, Ibram X. Kendi, Jose Medina, Layla F. Saad, Richard Delgado, Kimberlé Crenshaw, and Desmond Cole, it is evident they believe group identity is more important than individual identity without explicitly saying it.

It is most evident in how authors introduce themselves; listing the various social groups they belong to. In Case Critical: Social Services and Social Justice in Canada (Bell et al., 2017), many of the contributing authors introduce themselves this way. Banakonda begins by stating their full name and then goes on to say, “I am Bear Clan, and third degree Mideewiwin.” Raven introduces themselves by writing, “I am Cree/Assinniboine and Anishinaabe and a member of George Gordon First Nation of Treaty 4 in southern Saskatchewan.” And, Donna introduces herself by stating, “I am white” (Bell et al.,2017, pp. 2-4). All these introductions indicate which social groups they belong to, or which race they are, and are examples of how critical theorists value group identity over individual identity.

The book titled, Race, Class, & Gender: Intersections and Inequalities by Margaret L. Andersen and Patricia Hill Collins (2020) is a compilation of essays on the topics of ‘Why Race, Class, and Gender Still Matter’, ‘Systems of Power and Inequality’, ‘Social Institutions and Social Issues’, and ‘Intersectionality and Social Change’. The book is in its tenth edition and is an excellent representation of current scholarship in critical theory, because it addresses many of the current fields that critical theory reaches to: race, gender, ability, class, and includes over fifty different authors. Andersen and Collins (2020) write that “despite…accomplishments, race, class, and gender continue to structure society in ways that value some lives more than others. Currently some groups have great opportunities and resources, while other groups struggle.” And, “race, class, and gender matter because they remain the foundation for systems of power and inequality that, despite out nation’s diversity, continue to be among the most significant social facts of people’s lives.” (pp. 1-2)

They also emphasize the importance of knowing which group people belong to and ask readers to “remember that, as individuals, we are each located in systems of power wherein our social location can shape what we know” and that we are a “part of social groups whose ideas carry different weight within systems of power.” To “acquire a more inclusive view – [we must] pay attention to group experiences” and “learning about other groups helps you realize the partiality of your own perspective” and that there are “dominant and subordinate groups” (Andersen & Collins, 2020, pp. 2-3).

These examples from critical theorists demonstrate how group identity is valued more than individual identity. The way Andersen and Collins (2020) describe dominant and subordinate groups within society is an excellent introduction to the critical theory idea that there are oppressor groups who subjugate oppressed groups.

It is my opinion that a person’s identity does not come from physical descriptors, and it is not tied to whichever social group they belong to. I will explain my view of identity from a biblical worldview in chapter four of this research paper.

Rebecca

References

Andersen, Margaret L., & Collins, Patricia Hill. (2020). Race, class, & gender: Intersections and inequalities (Tenth Edition). Cengage Learning Inc.

(Bell), Banakonda Kennedy-Kish., Sinclair, Raven., Carniol, Ben., & Baines, Donna. (2017). Case critical: Social services and social justice in Canada (Seventh Edition). Toronto: Between the Lines.

Cooley, Charles. (1922). Human nature and the social order. New York: Scribner.

Sensoy, Ö. & DiAngelo, R. J. (2017). Is everyone really equal?: An introduction to key concept in social justice education. New York: Teachers College Press.