The Origins of Identitarianism and Identity Politics, or Divided We Fall

Identitarianism: An ideology or political agenda which seeks to defend or promote the interests of a particular social, racial, or religious group, nationality, etc. Hence: advocacy of an ideology or a political agenda specific to one’s particular religion, race, nationality, etc. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Identity politics: the adherence by a group of people of a particular religion, race, social background, etc., to political beliefs or goals specific to the group concerned, as opposed to conforming to traditional broad-based party politics. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Three things surprised me when I began to research this:

1. Though “identity politics” has been a popular phrase since the 1980s and “identitarianism” is relatively rare, “identitarianism” is much older. In retrospect, that makes sense. Identitarianism is the ideology that gives birth to identity politics.
2. Though identitarianism is sometimes said to be a rightwing ideology that began in the late 20th century with Les Identitaires , it was first used in 1943 by Erik von Kuehnelt-Leddihn in The Menace of the Herd to warn against groups that prioritize identity.
3. Though “identity politics” is sometimes said to have been coined in 1977 by the women of color who formed the Combahee River Collective, it appears in 1970 in an article in the Atlanta Daily World describing the racist politics of Alabama governor George Wallace, and…