Is identity politics compatible with the pursuit of global justice?

Kirsty Alexander and Catherine Eschle

Chapter 13 in Handbook on Gender in World Politics, 2026, pp 77-82 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter questions the recurring tendency from those critical of ‘identity politics’ to assume the incommensurability of identity claims and the pursuit of justice. We take as our case study the worldwide Occupy movement of 2011–2012, often cited by these critics as exemplifying a ‘post-identity’ politics. In contrast, we make the empirical case that identities were frequently mobilised in response to oppressive power relations in Occupy camps, in complex and often intersectional ways, intended to make the camps more inclusive and to build a better world for all. Concluding that the characterisation of Occupy as ‘post-identity’ is built upon problematic conceptualisations of identity and its relation to the pursuit of justice, we argue instead for more productive theorisation of how the two are necessarily interconnected.

Keywords: Social Identity; Identity Politics; Global Justice; Occupy Movement (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803923765
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