Explores the questions which lie at the heart of debates in cultural studies and social theory. This book considers such issues as: whether the identities of gender, sexuality, race, class and nationality, which have long defined the social and cultural world of modern societies, are in decline. Why and how do contemporary questions of culture so readily become highly charged questions of identity? The question of cultural identity lies at the heart of current debates in cultural studies and social theory. At issue is whether those identities which defined the social and cultural world of modern societies for so long - distinctive identities of gender, sexuality, race, class and nationality - are in decline, giving rise to new forms of identification and fragmenting the modern individual as a unified subject. Questions of Cultural Identity offers a wide-ranging exploration of this issue. Stuart Hall firstly outlines the reasons why the question of identity is so compelling and yet so problematic. The cast of outstanding contributors then interrogate different dimensions of the crisis of identity; in so doing, they provide both theoretical and substantive insights into different approaches to understanding identity.

Also available in printed form ISBN 9780803978836

Electronic reproduction. Askews and Holts. Mode of access: World Wide Web.