Topic 3: Identity & Collectives

In his essay On Being Black and Middle Class, Shelby Steele wrote, "It seems to me that when we identify with any collective we are basically identifying with images that tell us what it means to be a member of that collective. Identity is not the same thing as the fact of membership in a collective; it is, rather, a form of self-definition, facilitated by images of what we wish our membership in the collective to mean. In this sense, the images we identify with may reflect the aspirations of the collective more than they reflect reality, and their content can vary with shifts in those aspirations." [p. 737, italicise my own]

Step 1: Read the above several times. It contains some pretty heady thoughts, and you'll need to read it consciously to really understand it.
Step 2: Think about some groups/collectives that you belong to.
Step 3: Respond to one/some of the following questions: How is your identity shaped by your membership in a particular collective? What images does your collective associate with, and what aspirations do these images reflect? How does your identity vary from or conflict with the aspirations of a collective to which you belong?

Please post your responses by 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31.