About

The concept of « identity » is here, and there. As social scientists, one of our first duties resides in understanding what this semantic, social and scientific novation brought – its contributions and its limits. With this aim, I question the origin of the notion of identity, its evolution and its kaleidoscopic preservation since the 1950s. As a “portmanteau word” (“mot-valise” as Deleuze notes) the concept of identity confronts social sciences by questioning their fundamental postulates as well as by redefining their borders. Thus, it is naturally by a transdisciplinary approach that I try to grasp the sense – the signification and the direction – of a notion that is located in-between psychology, economics, cognitive sciences, sociology and philosophy.

Historical axis

In order to understand the contemporary emergence of the notion of identity, I link it to an “unravelment” of classic rationality. I hypothesize that the hollow of a dually “limited” (or bounded) rationality is a fulcrum for identity. The critics of rationality would be the grounds from which departs the notion of identity, before impacting it in return: are we leaning towards a new identital rationality (rationalité identitaire) ? And if so, how can we characterize it ?

Theoretical and epistemic axis

The concept of identity covers – equilibrates or disequilibrates – a set of heterogeneous significations. I try to uncover this polysemous use. How can we keep using the concept of identity adequately ? How can we understand it ? What does it bring to the table ? and what does it keep for itself, silently ? I propose an epistemic jump consisting in grasping identity as a rapport between the self and the other. More precisely, this identital rapport (rapport identitaire) is conflictual, absolutist and neg-entropic. It reveals itself as a game of classification, judgment and reflection.

Epistemological axis

Is the intrinsic plurality of identity an obstacle for the scientific mind or, a contrario, a unique possibility for ontological unification of social sciences ? Can the concept of identity be seen as a space of epistemological entente ? Or as a moment of irremediable divorce ? Can all disparate voices that talk about identity be unified ? Should they be ? And why ? Returning identity “against” science: how can we characterize a discipline’s identity ? How to question this identital rapport which perpetuates itself between different scientific disciplines ? How to deconstruct the dominant identital epistemology ? and what can we propose in exchange ?