‘Identity’ in Intellectual Discourse

The book by Debal K SinghaRoy provides an exquisite illustration of the situational reconstruction of new, fluid and layered identities in collective mobilizations, along the axis of caste, class, tribe, nationality, ethnicity, citizenship and social movements, resulting from the unprecedented social transformation caused by the spread of information and communication technologies (ICTs), globalization, wide flow of goods, expanding social interconnectedness and simultaneous fragmentation across the globe.

Sustained collective mobilizations based on primordial identities have acquired renewed forms of reflexivity along with non-primordial considerations grounded in specific socio-cultural traditions and embedded in local-global interactions. This is to necessitate a rejuvenated self-reflexive project which oscillates between the peculiarities of social solidarity on one hand and marginalization at the other. SinghaRoy posits the complexities and theoretical foundations of the concept of ‘identity’ along with its multiple and transitional manifestations, imbued in the host of paradoxes associated with it. A strong point of the book is the Introduction wherein he states the research questions, combining in-depth empirical observation with existing body of classical as well as contemporary literature on the lived experiences of individuals so as to lay the foundation of an intersectional analysis of the dynamics of ‘identity’ construction and reconfiguration.