Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 22:34:09 -0500
From: Yoshie Furuhashi <Furuhashi.1-AT-osu.edu>
Subject: Re: M-I: Reply to Doug Henwood re Identity


What Chris says about the right-wing identity politics, I think, is
generally correct. But I think he is wrong when he says the following:

>Identity politics is linked with the so called "realm of production"
>but this is a trivial fact.  Environmental struggle and the
>struggle for peace are also linked with production.  Peace challenges
>the military-industrial complex and production, the environment
>challenges unsustainable processes and exploitation of natural
>resources.  There is no particular strategic link between identity
>and production just the general link of (alienated) Mankind with the
>product of (alienated) Mankind.

Chris is rather simplistic when he analyzes all manners of identities and
social movements as mere variations of the same. Environmental and peace
struggles might produce personal identities regarding political persuasions
and lifestyles, but they do not directly emerge from persons' given social
identities. On the other hand, being black, for instance, and becoming
politically consicous about this social fact have much to do with
recognizing historical and present social positions of one's
race/ethnicity: the fact that the majority of black people not only are
working-class but also occupy marginal positions in the labor market.

Yoshie




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