Chapter 21 Difference
Introduction
In the period since the cold war, there has been a substantial amount of
interest in the concepts of ‘identity and difference’. With the decline of a class
analysis of politics, writers have felt that the way people see themselves needs
to be given much greater emphasis. This is particularly important where
someone’s identity diverges from the norm, and the fact that a person is black
or gay or female or poor is deemed an attribute that needs to be taken into
account when assessing the democratic quality of politics. How people see
themselves is obviously linked to the way in which they differentiate themselves
from others, so that the concept of difference is linked to the notion of identity
and they are dealt with as a pair. Difference, it has been said, is ‘a magic word
of theory and politics radiant with redemptive meanings’ (Hughes, 2002: 57).Chapter map
In this chapter we will explore:- A definition of difference: a monolithic
and static view of a person’s self-
awareness is in conflict with
democratic norms. - The postmodern view of ‘différance’
and its relation to the notion of
difference.- The use of the terms in feminist theory.
- The link between the concept of
difference and the premises of liberal
theory. - The implications that difference has for
the concepts of democracy and the
state.