Crossing Borders and Erasing Boundaries: Paradoxes of Identity Politics

This paper explores the problems and dilemmas of creating and crossing identity borders and boundaries. The identities discussed are those of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity. When these identities fragment or cross-cut each other, a unified politics becomes problematic. If stigmatized identities remain primarily personal, identity-based groups provide support and resources, but do not affect systemic injustices or status inequalities. The paper ends with a proposal for a politics of transformation and a description of some current programs that offer possibilities for structural change. Some of these programs are identity-based and maintain conventional categories; others deliberately integrate categories.