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Identity and the Future
Identity and the Future
Tuesday, 12 July 2016: 16:00-17:30
Location: Hörsaal 34 (Main Building)
RC07 Futures Research (host committee) Language: English
The rapid social change known by contemporary society has deeply influenced the process of formation of individual identity and the type of individual identity formed. In traditional society, individual identity was the result of a collective project, therefore the individual identity was socially determined. The transition to modern society, in particular the process of individualization, made central the question “Who am I?”, making identity an individual project. With the radicalization of the process of individualization, and the process of globalization, the individual identity has become more and more an individual project that can change periodically, making identity fluid, segmented and fragmented.
Sociologists like Anthony Giddens or Zygmunt Bauman have analysed the new forms of identity that characterize the late modernity. Giddens spoke of self-identity as a reflexive project, while Bauman spoke of liquid identity. Today we need to reflect on these two models and see if they are still valid.
I believe it is crucial to answer the following questions: can we still speak of the need of an identity or are we back to the idea of a mask that the person wears according to the social settings? Should we speak of a fluid identity that changes over time and space? Which are the effects of the fluid identity on the inner life of the individual?
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