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
Diane RavitchIdentity 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
Catharine R. StimpsonA 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
Lauren CollinsExamples of identity politics in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It's had a big problem of paying too much attention to identity politics.
—Robert Costa, CBS News, 4 May 2025
Tina Fey superfans may be legion, but she’s also absorbed more than her share of misogyny as well as criticism for her button-pushing approach to identity politics.
—Judy Berman, Time, 1 May 2025
Carney's emergence as the new leader of the Liberals offered voters a deliberate contrast to Trudeau's focus on identity politics and other progressive causes.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Currently, environmental justice is mired in racial identity politics, from the left and right, that mask the movement’s otherwise objectively important goal of improving the quality of the environment for everyone—albeit with the need to first focus on those most inequitably impacted.
—Jerel Ezell, Time, 22 Apr. 2025
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Robert Costa, CBS News, 4 May 2025
Tina Fey superfans may be legion, but she’s also absorbed more than her share of misogyny as well as criticism for her button-pushing approach to identity politics.
—Judy Berman, Time, 1 May 2025
Carney's emergence as the new leader of the Liberals offered voters a deliberate contrast to Trudeau's focus on identity politics and other progressive causes.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025
Currently, environmental justice is mired in racial identity politics, from the left and right, that mask the movement’s otherwise objectively important goal of improving the quality of the environment for everyone—albeit with the need to first focus on those most inequitably impacted.
—Jerel Ezell, Time, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for identity politics
Cite this Entry
“Identity politics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/identity%20politics. Accessed 20 May. 2025.
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