identity politics

noun

plural in form but singular or plural in construction

: politics in which groups of people having a particular racial, religious, ethnic, social, or cultural identity tend to promote their own specific interests or concerns without regard to the interests or concerns of any larger political group

Although the UCLA center's standards promoted rigorous history, they set off a major culture war because of their relentless emphasis on identity politics.

—Diane Ravitch

Identity politics is contemporary shorthand for a group's assertion that it is a meaningful group; that it differs significantly from other groups; that its members share a history of injustice and grievance; and that its psychological and political mission is to explore, act out, act on and act up its group identity.

—Catharine R. Stimpson

A number of critics have viewed her work through a lens of identity politics, taking her to be some sort of oracle of Muslim womanhood.

—Lauren Collins

Examples of identity politics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Harris ran on uplifting the middle class, not identity politics. —Suzette Hackney, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024

Some Democrats have subsequently called for the party to stop using identity politics, including targeting LGBT issues. —Emily Hallas, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 6 Dec. 2024

Others have said the party is out of touch due to an obsession with identity politics, which President-elect Trump effectively turned against them during this year’s campaign. —The Hill, 6 Dec. 2024

In his first speech since the presidential election in November, Barack Obama urged Americans who want democracy to survive to look for ways to compromise, engage with the other side, turn away from identity politics and build relationships with unlikely potential allies. —Julie Bosman, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1970, in the meaning defined above