Struggles that matter: tensions and instabilities within identity movements

Abstract

At present, various social groups that were and are historically excluded from the social fabric find open spaces for political struggle under the claim of difference. However, in a neoliberal socioeconomic context, which exalts the recognition of a universal and equal citizenship while ignoring the material inequalities of existence, the claims for the recognition of a particular identity run the risk of appearing functional to it. This manifests a problematic tension in the articulation of demands for cultural recognition and material redistribution within identity politics. In this paper we propose to address this tension starting from the performative theory of gender developed by Judith Butler to think about how power acts in the configuration, agency and resistance of abject subjectivities. In this sense, we will analyze how the performativity of the bodies operates, in what he calls the “politics of the Street” emphasizing the need to establish alliances with those who share the precarious condition, in order to be able to carry out concrete actions of struggle. In this way, we will also rescue issues that emerged from the debate with Nancy Fraser in the 90s, around recognition and redistribution; in order to review the strengths and weaknesses of Butler’s proposal in its critical value. We will conclude this work by affirming that the articulation of demands for difference and equality is not exempt from uncomfortable tensions, but it is necessary in order to cultivate a more democratic and therefore more inclusive politics.