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Identitarianism assumes that people are condemned to identify with the positive (ethnic/ gender/ nationalistic) predicates they possess, as if their subjectivity were exhausted by those properties. Exactly the opposite is the case: the authentic dimension of subjectivity consists not in any positive identity but in that which makes identifications.
Mark Fisher
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote argues against the idea that our identities are limited to specific traits, suggesting instead that true subjectivity transcends these identifications.

Mark Fisher's quote critiques the notion of identitarianism, which posits that individuals are defined solely by their inherent characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, or nationality. Fisher emphasizes that real subjectivity goes beyond these limiting labels; it is found in the very act of identification, which allows individuals to relate to a wider range of identities and experiences rather than being confined by predetermined attributes.

Themes

IdentitySubjectivityIdentificationPhilosophyEthnicityGenderNationalism

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about the limitations of identity politics.

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