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THERE ARE MORE WAYS OF SEEING PEOPLE THAN IN THE STRAITJACKET OF RACE, CREED OR WHATEVER WE MEAN BY 'CIVILISATION'. VARIETY IS THE NAME OF THE IDENTITY GAME - AND A SAFER WAY TO GO THAN CONFRONTATION IN THE NAME OF DIFFERENCE

This article is a critique, first, of the theory of identity advanced by Judith Butler and many of the feminist critics of identity politics, and, second, of identity politics itself. I argue that Butler's rejection of the modernist subject for its opposite, the fictional, substanceless subject, is untenable. Looking to object relations theory, I argue instead for a concept of the subject as an ungrounded ground, occupying a middle ground between the postmodern and the modern subject. With regard to identity politics I argue that instead of populating the political realm with multiple identities, we should instead remove identity entirely from the political realm.

Discusses the legacies of external domination & totalitarianism on nation building in post-Soviet Ukraine. Nation building in Ukraine is placed in a historical context showing how many contemporary Ukrainian characteristics existed during earlier periods in other countries. Challenged is the view that language should be perceived as the key -- if not the only -- marker of national identity in Ukraine. Instead, other elements of national identity are explored to show how nation building is developing in Ukraine. Russian-speaking Ukrainians, therefore, should not be regarded as "disloyal" to Ukrainian independence & as supporters of pro-Russian separatism, a view often held in the academic community. 5 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

Written by one of America's leading political thinkers, this is a book about the good, the bad, and the ugly of identity politics. Amy Gutmann rises above the raging polemics that often characterize discussions of identity groups and offers a fair-minded assessment of the role they play in democracies. She addresses fundamental questions of timeless urgency while keeping in focus their relevance to contemporary debates: Do some identity groups undermine the greater democratic good and thus their own legitimacy in a democratic society? Even if so, how is a democracy to fairly distinguish between

(Originally published in French in elements, 2004, 113, summer.) Contemplates the meaning & philosophies of identity. The problem of identity -- voiced through the question, "Who am I?" -- is representative of modern societies, & identity within traditional & pre-modern cultures is discussed. The concept identity was transformed during the Enlightenment & the relationship between identity & political ideologies is analyzed. Recognition, including mutual recognition, is deemed essential to one's personal & collective identities, & additional complexities of individual & collective identities are identified. The effects of postmodernism & globalization on identity are pondered. L. Collins Leigh

Written by one of America's leading political thinkers, this is a book about the good, the bad, and the ugly of identity politics. Amy Gutmann rises above the raging polemics that often characterize discussions of identity groups and offers a fair-minded assessment of the role they play in democracies. She addresses fundamental questions of timeless urgency while keeping in focus their relevance to contemporary debates: Do some identity groups undermine the greater democratic good and thus their own legitimacy in a democratic society? Even if so, how is a democracy to fairly distinguish between.