Can a “Politics of Difference” (or “Identity Politics”) Ground a Radical Democratic Conception of Justice?

As I argued in the prior chapter, post-structuralists fail to offer any coherent political strategy for emancipation beyond individuals “performatively” “resisting” dominant norms. Post-structuralists are correct to worry that social movements can define “authentic” norms and behavior in ways that become overly restrictive and conformist; such non-pluralist movements can end up “norming” and “disciplining” their members. Feminists, queer theorists, and critical race theorists have critiqued the anti-political, homogenizing constraints of essentialist forms of identity politics.1 But while democratic pluralists should warn against homogenizing group pressures, they should not ignore the reality that the building of social movements involves the construction of shared narratives and common identities.2