- Historical conceptions of identity
- Foucaults discourse methodology
- Post modern theorys of identity (Zygman Bauman)
- identity in the digital domain
Cesare Lombroso (1835 - 1909)
Founder of positive criminology, notion that criminal tendency's are inherited
Physiognomy Legitimising Racism
Trying to legitimise racism, by looking at specific facial features. Facial features in paintings and photos get over exaggerated to show give the idea that their evil.
Hieronymous Bosch, Christ carrying the Cross.
Historical phases of identity
- Premodern identity - personal identity is stable - degined by long standing roles
- Modern identity - modern societies begin to offer a wider range of social roles. Possibly to start 'choosing' your identity, rather than simply being born into it. People start to 'worry' about who they are.
- Post - modern identity - accepts a 'framented' 'self'. Identity is constructed.
Pre Modern Identity
Institutions determined identity
Marriage, the church, monarchy, government, the state, work
Pre Modern identity
'secure identies'
Farm worker, soldier, factory worker, housewife, gentleman....
Modern identity
Thorstein Veblen - Theory of the Leisure Class (1899)
Georg Simmel - The metropolis and Mental Life (1903)
- Social anxiety, who you are, where you fit in.
Georg Simmel
The higher classes where high end fashion, the lower classes see that and try and emulate what they see. Lower classes try and copy the higher class.
You feel alienated within the city and theres an expectation to go out with an identity.
Discourses to be considered
Class
Nationality
Race/ethincity
Gender and sexuality
Class
The higher class want to keep the lower classes in their place so you can actually maintain your own role within your set class.
'Members of Mass observation' worktown project, 1937
He approaches the project with a preconceived idea and shows the lowerclass/working class from up north and how uncultured and poor they are.
Martin Parr, The last resort,
The photos have a slightly condesating gesture to it.
Z, Bauman
"soiety... reminds one of a particularly sherw, cunning and pokerfaced player in the game of life, cheating if given a chance, fliuting rules whenever possible'
Postmodern condition
liquid modernity and liquid love
Post modern theory
- identity is constructed through our social experience
- Erving goffman the presentation of self in everyday life
- goffman saw life as theatre made up of....
Yes indeed identity is revealead.
Barbara Kruger, defining yourself by the thing your buy not by the person your are "i shop therefore i am"
'the famil trip to a shopping mall is the present day incarnation of the sacred' identity page 71 bauman
