The Simulacrum and Identity: An Affirmative Politics of Difference

In this essay, I confront the idea of the contemporary identity crisis and seek to posit an affirmative concept of identity. Building upon the work of Judith Butler, Jean Baudrillard, and Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari, I foment a critique against the Platonic notion of the original/copy dichotomy as expressed in the allegory of the cave in an effort to reframe our conceptions of identity as simulacral. I then expand upon Baudrillard and Deleuze’s conceptions of the simulacrum in an effort to establish an anti-conservative notion of identity grounded in Butler’s notion of performativity. Thereafter I use Deleuze & Guattari’s conception of the face and facialization to better understand how identity is levied and enacted in a social field. I provide, in doing this, a more affirmative alternative to the oftentimes limiting Foucauldian notions of identity as being subordinated to power in a way that strips it of its potential to actualize change and affirm divergence. I finally conclude by discussing some of the strategic concerns regarding how one can utilize identity in a way that is conducive to addressing political struggles whilst not succumbing to conservative and fascist strategies and rhetoric. Enjoy!

Music is Olivier Messiaen's Petites esquisses d'oiseaux: V. Le Rouge-gorge    • Petites esquisses d'oiseaux (Little Sketch...  

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