identity politics

noun, plural in form but singular or plural in construction

Definition of identity politics

: politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group Although the UCLA center's standards promoted rigorous history, they set off a major culture war because of their relentless emphasis on identity politics.— Diane Ravitch Identity politics is contemporary shorthand for a group's assertion that it is a meaningful group; that it differs significantly from other groups; that its members share a history of injustice and grievance; and that its psychological and political mission is to explore, act out, act on and act up its group identity.— Catharine R. Stimpson A number of critics have viewed her work through a lens of identity politics, taking her to be some sort of oracle of Muslim womanhood.— Lauren Collins

Examples of identity politics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The party is losing its grip on Hispanic voters, who are losing patience with inflation, identity politics, crime and open borders. — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, 28 Apr. 2022 There are thus two versions of modern identity politics. — Francis Fukuyama, Harper’s Magazine , 27 Apr. 2022 Voters are not sure Democrats can look beyond identity politics to ensure public safety, secure borders, high-quality nonideological education, and economic progress for all Americans. — Ruy Teixeira, National Review, 31 Mar. 2022 On domestic issues, Mr. Yoon was accused of stoking gender animosities by adopting a Donald Trump-like brand of divisive identity politics that spoke almost exclusively to men. — Hyung-jin Kim And Kim Tong-hyung, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Mar. 2022 An intermittently active participation in feminist and identity politics has also caused Ringgold to be embraced in some circles and discounted in others. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2022 But never fear, the Pentagon is also on high alert over identity politics. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 11 Feb. 2022 She was chosen as a bow to identity politics to unite the Democratic Party in the election campaign, not for her ability to fill the President’s shoes. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 27 Mar. 2022 In this sense, the Z became a symbol of a new Russian ideology and national identity, said Kamil Galeev, a former Wilson Center fellow who researched Russian identity politics from Moscow, in a long Twitter thread. — Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'identity politics.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About identity politics

Dictionary Entries Near identity politics

identity philosophy

identity politics

identity principle

Statistics for identity politics

Last Updated

10 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Identity politics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/identity%20politics. Accessed 19 May. 2022.

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