ABSTRACT
The transformation of individual identity under the influence of globalization has been characterized as an identity crisis by some observers, while others see it as a creative process that produces new forms of identity. Both diagnoses are based on the observation that primordial, inherited concepts of identity are weakened by the erosion of traditional communities. In the absence of a received identity, individuals must create their own, both in terms of their cultural and everyday activities, and with regard to their sense of self and affiliation. This is no easy task, as a number of authors have pointed out:
The gain in choice and leeway in designing one’s own life is counterbalanced by a loss of collective security and affiliation. The social need to construct one’s own biography and identity out of prefabricated fragments and mismatched pieces is an arduous, failure-prone, risky undertaking for the individual.
