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

In recent years, Brazil has become increasingly fragmented, amplified by a widespread subscription to hateful doctrines, culture wars, anti-intellectualism, disinformation on social media, apocalyptic messaging, doomsday conspiracy theories, and ethno-religious identity politics. —Emi Eleode, Time, 14 July 2025

Meanwhile, our president is solidifying his image as a global leader of white identity politics. —Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 26 May 2025

The retired justice suggested that identity politics, or characterizing a person by their partisan affiliation, is not conducive to democracy and civil discourse. —Ella Lee, The Hill, 26 June 2025

Gaines also hosts a podcast about identity politics in sports and other political topics. —Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for identity politics

• biopolitics
• bolsheviks
• candlesticks
• crucifix
• intermix
• lunatics
• mensheviks
• orthotics
• politicks
• bricks
• brix
• chicks