Multiple Identities - Fundamental Concepts

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Date Multiple Identities In a world where self-worth is paramount, seeking to identify and understand personal identity is critical is essential for anyone who wants to make sense of their lives, those around them and be better prepared for the future. Globalization and immigration have created a global community that incorporates cultural diversity and coexistence. In many societies, both monolithic and diversified communities coexist peacefully as the idea of cultural differences becomes global. As such, diversity exists in religions, cultural beliefs and customs, languages, and ethnicity. Modernity has also elevated the social worlds through increased social and professional interactions. In almost every part of the continent, minority groups are pushing for their recognition and a sense of community as part of personal and community identities that undeniably define them. The knowledge of identity explicitly delineates the valued expertise in both personal and shared histories, portrays the actual cultural differences between individuals and cultures. Kwame Anthony Appiah shares his opinion on the nature of ethnic identity in Singapore in his article Crazy Rich Identities. Unlike other places like the US, the government of Singapore is in the frontline of protecting ethnic identities for the people of Singapore, bridging the gap between the majority and the minority in the country. Zadie Smith, on the other hand, emphasizes the importance of personal identity in Speaking in Tongues. Smith speaks highly of embracing and being proud of oneself and holding dear to what defines our own identity such as speaking in more than one language or embracing one’s culture, history, or even being multiracial without having to choose between races. While globalization pushes for cultural diversity, integration and even assimilation of people in various societies, the question of identity is critical and cannot be overlooked or overridden by any particular person, community or authority. Identity is a fundamental concept that determines, sustains and steers individual as well as communities within and between social systems. At an individual level, identity defines people, gives them a sense of belonging, facilitates knowledge transfer and a feeling of self-worth and shapes an individual’s life in general. On a macro level, the concept of identity has an even broad conceptual reach that similarly touches the lives of the community and has effects on teams in workplaces, departments, industries, government and the society at large. In Singapore, for instance, the government was keen to integrate key aspects of Singaporean identity that defined the citizens to a more considerable extent, without ignoring the minority groups. Appiah takes note of the country’s National Pledge that reads, “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion” (3). Clearly demarcating the three important aspects of the citizens’ identity and critical trigger points, i.e., race, language and religion, Singapore’s leadership formulated policies that compelled the citizens to adopt a bilingual-education policy and criminalized any forms of discrimination within the four racial groups of the country. By establishing a system to carry on a major language within a culture, the Singaporean government hoped to entrench the spirit of identity and belonging to its citizens and reduce possible conflicts that may emanate from possible differences. Similarly, Smith notes that “we feel that our voices are who we are, and that to have more than one, or to use different versions of a voice for different occasions, represents, at best, a Janus-faced duplicity, and at worst, the loss of our very souls” (2). Smith posits that for the British, voice adaptation is deemed similar to betraying the British and unforgivable act as such. As a defining asset to identity, language needs to be preserved at all cost. Without identifying with a ‘vernacular’ language that is part of a larger culture, one is as good as without identity and has lost a sense of belonging. Defining identities is an integral part of ensuring integration between individuals and communities and eliminating possible hostilities emanating from their differences. With a clear distinction between the critical components of identities, individuals, communities and the government can take a proactive step to guard and embrace these differences. In Singapore, for instance, the government took the lead in categorizing the nation’s racial groups and set the pace for identity classification for the citizens. Appiah asserts that after Singapore’s independence “the ruling party decided that all citizens would be categorized, for government purposes, into one of four “racial” groups: Chinese, Malay, Indian, or Other, in what came to be called the CMIO system” (3). The proactive government’s role in identifying identities in the culturally diverse nation assured the people of the government’s backing in expressing personal identities, ensuring there is no dis...