ABSTRACT
Identities are difficult to grasp – in more ways than one. Conceptually, ‘identity’ is probably one of the most fuzzy concepts constantly used in the social and cultural sciences. For several disciplines it is a key term, notably psychology, anthropology and cultural studies, but standard and encyclopaedic definitions are highly diverse, even within one discipline. We know that every person has ‘an identity’, but we also know that people have multiple identities. The term’s root is the Latin word for ‘the same’ (idem), which highlights a contradiction found in each definition of ‘identity’. The notion of the uniqueness of each individual self seems to work against the sameness acknowledged in our sharing central attributes (e.g. gender, age, ethnicity) with other individuals and the fact that individuals forming groups is an essential part of ‘being human’.
