Once again Brooks gets identity politics totally wrong!
The Retreat to Tribalism nyti.ms/2DL1Ddi
The Retreat to Tribalism nyti.ms/2DL1Ddi
Here is my correction. (Follow thread.) Another clueless diatribe about "identity politics" by someone who has no idea what it means. As one of the 3 co-authors of "The Combahee River Collective Statement" (1977) where the term originally appeared,
I can confirm that identity politics means nothing remotely like what Brooks and others like Mark Lilla say. There have been systems of institutionalized oppression in the U. S. like white supremacy, capitalism, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia which predate the term
identity politics by several centuries. The political theory and practice of identity politics has been most useful for building coalitions with people of various identities who are committed to working together to eradicate these systems and not for creating enemies lists.
For more facts about identity politics read Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor's new book, "How We Get Free: Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective" (Haymarket Books) #SmithCaringCircle
By the way, there is so much more wrong with Brooks's argument, especially when he talks about Martin Luther King's success resulting from "our" universal principles and common humanity. Funny, that's not how I remember Jim Crow. smithcaringcircle.com
