The big idea: Identity is who people feel themselves to be — and in global politics it is one of the most powerful forces there is.
Belonging and identity politics
- People act politically not only out of interest but out of belonging: to a nation, an ethnic group, a religion, a race, a gender.
- Identity politics puts that belonging at the centre of political demands.
- Whether identities are fixed or made is one of the deepest debates in the subject.
- National — belonging to a nation or people ("we are a nation"), often the strongest political identity.
- Ethnic — shared ancestry, language, culture or homeland binding a group together.
- Religious — shared faith and belief, which can shape law, values and loyalty.
- Racial — identity built around perceived race, and the history of discrimination attached to it.
- Gendered — identity and political interests shaped by being a woman, man or non-binary person.
Why identity shapes political behaviour: People do not act only as isolated individuals chasing self-interest — they act as members of groups they identify with. Identity tells people who is "us" and who is "them", which shapes who they trust, vote for, fight for and against.
What follows from "us" and "them"
- Identity can mobilise huge political movements.
- When "us vs them" hardens, it can drive conflict.
- Understanding identity is essential to understanding why global politics is so often about belonging, recognition and division — not just resources.
Free preview
This is the free notes preview
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Identity is rarely single: everyone holds several identities at once — national, religious, gendered, class — and which one becomes politically important depends on context.
Identity politics arises when a group organises around a shared identity to demand recognition, rights or power.
Identity as mobilisation
Shared identity is a powerful way to organise politically: it gives people a common story, a sense of solidarity, and a reason to act together. Movements for national independence, civil rights, or religious revival all draw their force from a strong shared identity that turns individuals into a mobilised group with common demands.
Identity as division
But the same force that binds a group together defines outsiders. When identity becomes the main line of politics, it can sharpen an "us vs them" divide, marginalise minorities, and make compromise harder — because a threat to identity feels existential in a way a dispute over money does not. So identity both unites and divides.
Case study — one person, many identities: Imagine a citizen who is at once a member of a nation, a follower of a religion, a speaker of a minority language, and a woman. In ordinary times these identities sit quietly together. But politics can make one of them suddenly central.
| Political moment | Identity it activates |
|---|---|
| A war | Her national identity |
| A debate over religious law | Her faith identity |
| A campaign for equal pay | Her identity as a woman |
The HL lesson: Which identity "speaks" is shaped by the political context — and skilful (or cynical) leaders can deliberately activate one identity to mobilise support. Identity is real and powerful, but it is also plural and situational, not a single fixed label.
The key point: Identity — national, ethnic, religious, racial, gendered — is a central force in global politics because people act as members of groups, not just individuals. Everyone holds several identities at once, and which becomes politically important depends on context.
Identity politics
- Organises around a shared identity to demand recognition, rights or power.
- A force that both unites a group and can divide it from others.
Get feedback like a real examiner
Submit your answers and get instant feedback — what you did well, what's missing, and exactly what to write to score full marks.
The deepest debate: are identities fixed and natural — given by birth, blood and ancestry — or constructed — made and remade by history, politics and choice?
Weigh it — and it matters, because it changes what politics can do about identity.
The constructivist case
Most scholars argue identities are constructed: nations are 'imagined communities' built by shared stories, education, media and symbols; ethnic and racial boundaries have shifted dramatically over history; and leaders can deliberately create or harden identities for political ends. If identity were purely natural, it could not change — yet it plainly does, which shows it is made, not simply given.
Why identities still feel fixed
Yet to the people who hold them, identities feel anything but invented — they are rooted in birth, family, language and ancestry, felt as deep, unchosen and permanent, and people are willing to die for them. So 'constructed' does not mean 'fake' or 'trivial': an identity can be socially made and still be utterly real and powerful in its effects — which is why it cannot simply be argued away.
One view: constructed
- Imagined communities
- Shifting boundaries
- Activated by leaders
Another view: fixed and natural
- Rooted in birth and ancestry
- Felt as unchosen
The HL judgement: Strong HL answers judge that identities are constructed but not fake: they are made and remade by history and politics (so they can change), yet they are experienced as deep and real (so they cannot be dismissed).
Why it matters: If identity is made, it can be reshaped — toward inclusion or toward hatred — which puts real responsibility on leaders and institutions.
How identity comes up in Paper 3: Paper 3 stimulus might show an identity-based movement, a clash between groups, or a leader appealing to identity.
How to handle it
Which identities
Analyse which identities are in play.
Constructed or activated
Analyse whether they are being constructed or activated.
Recommend
Usually: recognise identity while building a shared, inclusive belonging that resists 'us vs them'.
Which, whether, recommend.
How Paper 3 rewards you (HL)
Understand
Show you understand the challenge and the stimulus material accurately.
base
Analyse
Break the challenge down — causes, actors, perspectives — using the material.
analyse
Recommend
Propose and justify a course of action — the Paper-3-specific skill.
recommend
Synthesise
Pull the material together into a judged, evaluated response.
top
Recommend how a government could respond constructively to rising identity politics in a divided society.
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Common mistakes (Paper 3): 1. Treating identity as one fixed thing. People hold several, and context decides which matters.
2. Assuming 'constructed' means 'fake'. Made identities are still deeply real.
3. Ignoring who activates identity. Leaders often mobilise it deliberately.
4. Only describing. Analyse + recommend.
5. Treating identity as only divisive. It also unites and empowers.