identity politics

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: 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 two new museums, which Congress approved in 2020, have been threatened with cancellation by conservative lawmakers, who have framed them as divisive concessions to progressive identity politics. —Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024

But there is a real fear of a return to power of identity politics in many parts of today’s culturally rich, but complicated, France. —Joseph Ataman, CNN, 9 July 2024

On federal holidays, identity politics, presidential immunity, Ismail Kadare, an act of humanity, and more All Our Opinion in Your Inbox NR Daily is delivered right to you every afternoon. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 8 July 2024

Then there’s the harsh reality of identity politics. —Philip Elliott, TIME, 1 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above