Identity

Considering identity throughout history.

Discourse methodology.

Identity in the digital domain.

Essentialism (traditional approach)
Biological make-up that categorises the kind of person you are.

Postmodernist theorists disagree.  Move away from essentialism in post modern era.

Phrenology

The idea is that you can have a perfect balance within the brain.  Notion that different parts of the brain formulate the person you are.  If one aspect is particularly large then another aspect will be muc smaller- upsetting the balance.

Physiognomy

Study of facial characteristics.  Gives rise to explicit racism.  19th Century.  Based on a white European middle to upper class background.  Suggests you can equate someones intelligence with features.  Using it as a way of legitimising racism.  

Anti-sematism.

Heronymous Bosch.  Anti sematic roots.  Notion that the Jewish race sent him to his death they are inherently evil.

Chris Ofili.  Work tries to display features that resonate with his audience. 

Historical phases of identity.

Pre modern-identity- personal identity is stable- defined by long standing roles.

Modern identity- modern societies begin to offer a wider range of social roles.  Possibly to start chossing you identity, rather than being born into it.  People begin to worry about who they are.

Post modern identity- accepts a fragmented self.  Identity is constructed.  Decide what your identity is going to be.

Pre-modern:

Institutions- marriage / / patriarchy / / the state / / government / / monarchy.

Secure identities - If you're a farm worker you report to the landed gentry.

                           factory worker- industrial capitalism.

                           soldier - state.

Modern:

To read up on:

                           Baudelaire

                           Veblen

                           Simmel.

Baudelaire:

Introduces concept of the flaneur (gentleman stroller).  By being out and about they show they don't need to be at work.  Conspicuous consumption.

Simmel:

Introduces the trickle down theory.  What the fashion system as we know today is based upon.  Showing something to aspire to / / something that differenciates them from the rest of society.  The lower class that see the upper then aspire to and attempt to emulate this.  The upper then combat this by new fashion, lower copy.  Fashion cycle.

Suggests that because of the speed of mutability of modernity, individuals withdraw themselves.

Foulcault:

"Identity is constructed out of the discourses culturally available to us."

Poddible discourses:

Age / / class / / gender / / income etc.  Four main:

- Class

- Nationality

- Race/Ethnicity

- Gender and Sexuality.

Notions of the influence of women has been overlooked in the past.

Class system came about from the industrial revolution.

Las Vegas quote.

Sums up the notion of dumbing down of society.

Gillian Wearing,

Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say, 1992-3

Gender and Sexuality:

Early media, history of art- what women should look like.  

Edmund Bergler,

Makes the point that the fashion industry is run by men not women.  

The Postmodern condition:
Liquid modernity and liquid love.
Post modern theory:
Suggests that identity is constructed through social experiences.
Bauman:
Identity is an objective that you can set out to achieve.
Hargreaves:
Introspection is a disappearing act.