Identity Politics

Identity politics refers to political arguments or movements that cater to the interests, perspectives, [Page 489]and concerns of social groups identified mainly on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ideology, nationality, cultural preferences, medical conditions, professions, or hobbies. The relationship between identity politics and surveillance is multilayered; surveillance is often seen as a specific management of the relative visibilities and visibility asymmetries. In addition, the advocacy and the implementation of policies driven by identity politics carry a surveillance potential. Special forms of surveillance come up in the context of ethno-racial identity politics concerning the inherently arbitrary nature of official, politico-legal definitions for groups and membership criteria and the materialization of free choice of identity. In this entry, a more thorough understanding of ...