Reclaiming Identity : Realist Theory and the Predicament of Postmodernism

"Identity" is one of the most hotly debated topics in literary theory and cultural studies. This bold and groundbreaking collection of ten essays argues that identity is not just socially constructed but has real epistemic and political consequences for how people experience the world. Advocating a "postpositivist realist" approach to identity, the essays examine the ways in which theory, politics, and activism clash with or complement each other, providing an alternative to the widely influential postmodernist understandings of identity. Although theoretical in orientation, this dynamic collection deals with specific social groups--Chicanas/os, African Americans, gay men and lesbians, Asian Americans, and others--and concrete social issues directly related to race, ethnicity, sexuality, epistemology, and political resistance. Satya Mohanty's brilliant exegesis of Toni Morrison's Beloved serves as a launching pad for the collection. The essays that follow, written by prominent and up-and-coming scholars, address a range of topics--from the writings of Cherrie Moraga, Franz Fanon, Joy Kogawa, and Michael Nava to the controversy surrounding racial program housing on college campuses--and work toward a truly interdisciplinary approach to identity. The -- Epistemic status of cultural identity: on Beloved and the postcolonial condition / -- Satya P. Mohanty Postmodernism, "realism," and the politics of identity: Cherríe Moraga and Chicana feminism -- Paula M.L. Moya "Who are our own people?": challenges for a theory of social identity -- Michael R. Hames-García On representing others: intellectuals, pedagogy, and the uses of error -- Caroline S. Hau "It matters to get the facts straight": Joy Kogawa, realism, and objectivity of values -- Minh T. Nguyen Racial authenticity and white separatism: the future of racial program housing on college campuses -- Amie A. Macdonald Who says who says?: the epistemological grounds for agency in liberatory political projects -- Brent R. Henze Is there something you need to tell me?: coming out and the ambiguity of experience -- William S. Wilkerson Reading "experience": the debate in intellectual history among Scott, Toews, and LaCapra -- John H. Zammito Who's afraid of identity politics?-- Linda Martín Alcoff. Ten essays offer a "postpositivist realist" approach to identity, arguing that identity has real political and epistemic consequences for how people experience the world and their place in society. Several closely related practical and theoretical questions concerning identity emerge from current debates about cultural diversity. Edited By Paula M.l. Moya And Michael R. Hames-garcia. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.