Strategic essentialism is germane only where it defends against state violence
Evidence
On the one hand, Stuart is perfectly willing to concede that there are particular historical moments in which strategic essentialism becomes absolutely germane—if, for instance, you are in a situation where that is all that stands between you and “the fucking LA police.” On the other hand, while he will not accept an antiracism that presumes its politics to be “guaranteed” by racial origins, neither will he support any kind of “post-modern nomadism” that presumes a voluntaristic fluidity in matters of identity. — Stuart Hall, Essential Essays, Volume 2, 900
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Precisely delimits the concept of strategic essentialism — germane as defense, illegitimate as guaranteed politics, and distinct from voluntaristic identity fluidity.
- XREF: Strategic essentialism is a crucial bridge concept for how the Islamophobia field treats identity-based mobilization without essentializing race.
Related
- Strategic essentialism is politically valid but antiracist politics cannot be guaranteed by racial origins (similarity 0.90)
- Strategic essentialism was historically necessary but may no longer suffice (similarity 0.81)
- Strategic essentialism is only ever a temporary, situation-specific deployment, never a settled stance. (similarity 0.81)
- Rejecting essentialism need not collapse into postmodern nomadism that erases difference. (similarity 0.79)