Cultural Identity Theory and Education

This chapter presents a selective overview of the study of identity. Identity is defined broadly as self-understandings, especially those with strong emotional resonances, and often marked with socially constructed raced, gendered, classed, and sexual identity labels. The definition of identity is based on two assumptions: (a) the study of identity is the study of subject formation and (b) identity is about power. The chapter then proceeds to address two aspects of cultural identity as a concept: first, the power that cultural identity has for identity politics, followed by the political dimensions of cultural identity as used by oppressed and minoritized groups in social movements and activism, especially those related to education. The chapter then focuses on the relevance of identity to address difference in education and concludes with asserting the importance of qualitative research in the study of identity.