Crib Notes on BBC Radio 4's Start the Week: Identity Politics (15th October 2018)

I am not going to be completist here, have just focussed on Fukuyama's and Kaufmann's arguments, the sections about theatre and student activism are ignored. This was done quickly and is in note form in order to highlight some key points from the broadcast:

BBC Radio 4: Start the Week, 15th October 2018

Arguments made by Francis Fukuyama: 

People are motivated by an inner sense of dignity, 21^st century politics is not driven by conflicts over resources or the ideologies of left and right we saw in the 20^th century, rather in terms of a perceived lack of dignity (or striving to have more dignity than other groups in society). The old left focussed on inequality in general, but this shifted over to specific 'identity' groups, meaning they gradually lost the support of the white working class majority, who have drifted over to the anti-immigrant, populist right.

“The framing of identity in the modern world is a very specific form, where you feel that you are victimised and you feel that your dignity has to be recognised, it is not you that has to change and conform to society's values, it's really the surrounding society that must change its norms”

Economic motivation is important because of globalisation, economists and politicians do not appreciate that white working classes have interpreted loss of work as a loss of status and cultural identity, which other groups are interpreted as 'stealing'. It is harder to have rational conversations about this than it is about traditional economic differences, hence the polarisation of views seen in recent times.

”If you don't have a common framework on ideas about legitimacy you can't deliberate, you can't make decisions, and you can't come to collective action”.

Identity groups tend to demonise those that do not share that identity, and attribute faults to them without taking into account the nuances of history. In the ancient world it was expected that the inner self had to conform to the outer world, today we say that the outer world has to conform to the authenticity of the inner person.

Arguments made by Eric Kaufmann: 

Left wing identity politics is hierarchically structured (race > sex > gender) so for example leftist feminists may not feel able to challenge patriarchal practices in ethnic groups. No such hierarchy exists on the right (eg race, religion deemed equally valid).

White majorities will disappear in the US mid-century and in the UK in 22^nd century (replaced with a mixed race majority in the UK, although likely to have adopted many parts of traditional white British identity).

Possible responses:

1 Fight (anti-immigration, right popularism);

2 Repress any innate instinct you have to fight the trend, as that is perceived to be racist;

3 Flight/Retreat (into distinct ethnic social networks, enclaves);

4 Join (interracial friendships, mixing).

Multi-multiculturalism needs to be replaced my 'multi-vocalism' different groups in a society can select things from a 'common menu' of characteristics that they identify with and makes them (say) British. They do not all have to select the same things as long as they are from the common menu.

Keywords:

Francis Fukuyama, Identity: Contemporary Identity Politics and the Struggle for Recognition, Eric Kaufmann, Whiteshift: Populism Immigration and the Future of White Majorities, ideology, immigration, populist right, globalisation, anti-globalisation, identity, multi-multiculturalism, multi-vocalism