Identity: representations and practices Editors Silvia Valencich Frota Marianela Barrios Aquino

Editors’ introduction

Marianela Barrios Aquino  Silvia Frota

University of Sussex University of Lisbon

This there is at least one point that seems to reach agreement: the inter -

disciplinary nature of the study of identity and the necessity thereof.

By interdisciplinarity we mean the possibility presented by the fertile

space between disciplines (McGregor, 2005:4 ) to shed some light upon

the subject of identity, that is to say, to conduct identity studies using

theoretical and methodological frameworks developed under the scrutiny

of different disciplines will result in a unified body of knowledge beyond

that of the individual disciplines. Ideally, the interdisciplinary nature of

the work is such, that “the sum of its parts, the whole has totally different

properties, to the point that the original contributions are no longer

identifiable” (McGregor, 2005:5 ), thus becoming one single, coherent body

of knowledge. This is also first and foremost the perspective of this book,

and the authors here included have greatly succeeded in establishing a

coherent and consistent dialogue between the disciplines involved in their

research.

Although interdisciplinary research seems to be a desired reality, the

realization of this principle should not be taken for granted. As a matter

of fact, in our perspective, it is still an issue to be considered and its success -

ful application should be celebrated as a great success in mediation, to be

attributed to the researcher. Sometimes — perhaps more often than not

— academic prejudice prevails and researchers from different fields look

at each other with a certain lack of confidence or at least with a certain

awkwardness.

We are not only referring to the broader philosophical, theoretical or

ideological side of interdisciplinary work. Instead we are set to consider

some practices that underlie academic fields and that are set in motion

almost surreptitiously /unconsciously. What makes a paper readable?

Which are the criteria or characteristics that determine the quality of a

paper in an academic perspective? What kind of language, structure and

content should an academic paper have? Is there an academic culture or

even an academic identity that should run through all the papers/works

that want to be considered “academic”? Entitled to the academic label?

And where does that ‘culture’ come from?

However, while although the vast majority of scholars would probably

agree upon the value of diversity, the respect of differences, the un avoidable

and healthy, prolific, productive ampleness of interdisciplinary work, they

would probably demand a common ground, something that would make

those texts recognizable as academic papers, infused with academic value.

We are not sure, however, that they would agree upon the content of this

“common ground”.

By highlighting this controversy, we are not defending the idea that

there should be no rules. Nor are we stating that every text could or should

be granted the title of academic. We are just highlighting the fact that

difference, awkwardness, and conflict is and will be present in an inter -

disciplinary project. Furthermore, we wanted this book to act as a platform

for various voices of authors from different academic disciplines and social

contexts, simply because their voices communicate a presence behind the

written words (Narayan, 2012 ).

This is an attempt to question certain conventions about academic

writing holding the belief that we are now in what is called a post process in

pedagogy, where “the focus has shifted from an emphasis on the cognitive

processes of textual production to an emphasis on the social dimensions

of writing as a cultural activity” (Atkinson, 2003 in Flowerdew, Wang,

2015:82 ). We believe that this approach is ideal to mirror the current state

of the art in identity studies, with scholars producing and developing

research within the widest varieties of cultural contexts of academic

production.

We also tried to gather different and complementary topics and

approaches in order to provide a wider overview of identities studies

currently. The result of these strategies, ideological positionings and

efforts is a set of very distinctive texts, with different languages, narratives,

approaches, perspectives, and their particular context of production. This

book does not attempt to establish “new theories of identity” but it aims

to be the proof that identity studies are a prolific space of knowledge

creation, where the most variegated disciplines can solve a piece of the

puzzle.

We are aware of the risks inherent to this eclectic position. But we also

believe that these risks are more than offset by the opportunities that arise

from them.

This book is therefore addressed to those researchers familiar with

identity issues and interested in enlarging their view of Identity Studies.

We hope they can find inspiration and new resources from these readings.

It is also suitable for those researchers that are interested on working with

this subject in the future. For them, we believe the present selection

of papers may provide a wider horizon for their work and a rich sample of

possibilities.

In the first chapter, Adrian Holliday looks at how identity practices

and representations travel across cultural borders. Holliday’s article states

that the construction of cultural identities implies the acquisition of

certain symbolic tools that will become mobile with the subject, enabling

them to be transported from one cultural setting to another and thus be -

coming powerful resources in the engagement with new cultural contexts.

Further more, Holliday acknowledges and further explores the challenges

presented in those situations, such as prejudice, hegemony of western

visions of culture and essentialist perspectives of world representations.

Throughout this chapter, the author locates those discourses within our

everyday practices. From a very aware position of the researcher within

the researched subject, the author combines sociological, political and

anthropological tools to pay attention to discursive and linguistic constructions 

and representations of cultural identities and their embodiment in

the complexities of everyday life.

In chapter two, Madinabeitia introduces concepts of identity construction 

in the Basque diaspora in the United States. She explores notions

of centre and periphery in the construction of a national identity, further -

more she explores the cultural elements produced abroad that contribute

to the reproduction of the Basque national identity at home. A key point

of interest in this paper is the possibility of an identity of the diaspora,

the Basque diaspora. Furthermore, the appropriation of symbols and the

on-going construction of identity processes regardless of time (generations

in the diaspora ) and territory (outside the geographical territory of the

nation ) are key points of analysis in her research. The sociological value

of the use of knowledge from cultural studies as well as migration studies,

contribute to an in depth observation of a collective that defies concepts

of nation-state, transnationalism and the time-space duality.

In the third chapter, with a flair for Elias’ sociology of the small things

and an in depth knowledge of concept of cultural studies, Peter Stanković

and Alenka Švab analyse the inclusion of everyday practices and their

meaning in the habitus development of the people and their national

identity construction as well as underlying justifications. They explain

Bourdieu’s “taste of necessity” with Slovenian historical background and

construction of national identity, providing a political context for the

historical nature of identity construction.

In chapter four Micaela Aguiar combines applied linguistics and

political science in order to carry out a discourse analysis of the dictatorial

image of the President in inaugural addresses given during the Portuguese

military dictatorship. This research explores the communication of specific

traits and symbols that the regime intended to be part of a Portuguese

national identity, resorting to psych-social and socio-political strategies

such as influencing social opinion, encouraging behaviour and imposing

ideology.

In the fifth chapter, Julia Ludewig analyses through a qualitative study

how the New Criticism (20th century school of literary criticism ) negotiated

collective and individual identities through the literary analyses of its

members. Based on selected published writings by three key members

of this group, this study concludes that micro-identities exist within disci -

plines and form around gendered practices, in this case written discourse.

This chapter provides an important reflection that points to the fact that

identity studies benefit from a wide theoretical framework, which includes

the analysis of socio-intellectual movements and linguistic methods.

In chapter six, Maria Krebber analyses the discursive construction

of power relations and gender roles in Portuguese families. Drawing on

theory from gender studies, applied linguistics and sociology, the study

performs an in depth analysis of interviews using Systemic Functional

Analysis. The author reveals that identity negotiation processes within the

family mirror and reproduce ideological and political discourses present

in Portuguese traditions.

Konstantinos Gogalis in chapter seven explores the development of

social capital in a virtual context among young Internet users, specifically

within a social media platform, providing an opportunity to reflect about

identity within an alternative space of interaction. Furthermore, the author

analyses the value given by the social media users to relationships developed

within a virtual context in contrast with those developed outside that

virtual context. How those “virtual relationships” become associated with

the search for identities and construction of the self is explored here via

a sociological quantitative study that transcends sociology by engaging

with questions of social psychology and cultural studies.

In the last chapter, through a critical literature analysis and based on

island studies, or nissology, Arijana Medvedec explores the concept of

creolisation situated within a well-described political and sociological

context of the construction of meaning and identity. This literary analysis

of the identity implications of the concept of creolization within the novel

The Eighth Commissioner by Renato Bareti , reveals its theoretical aim:

to test the adaptability of the concept to a supranational context and its

relation to notions of identity and postmodernity. Thus, Medvedec,

examines her literary analysis through a sociological and political lens with

empirical and theoretical tools from anthropology and cultural studies.

The combination of the work of these authors provides the proof that

the complexity of research in identity finds its strength in the conjugation

of concepts and methods from different disciplines.

References

Atkinson, D. (2003 ). L2 writing in the post-process era: Introduction. Journal

of Second Language Writing, 12(1 ), 3-15

Bauman, Z. (2004 ). Identity, Oxford: Polity

Flowerdew, J.; Wang, S. (2015 ). Identity in Academic Discourse. Annual Review

of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 35 (MARCH ), 81-99

McGregor, S.L.T. (2005 ). Transdisciplinarity and a culture of peace. Culture of

Peace Online Journal, 1(1), 1-12

Narayan, K. (2012 ). Alive in the writing: Crafting ethnography in the company

of Chekhov. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press

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