The Power, Passions, and Perils of Identity: On Chantal Mouffe

In this chapter, I engage with the work of political theorist Chantal Mouffe that puts forward a malleable and relational understanding of identity beyond simple demographic categories—specifically her account of how political identities are contingently formed through processes of ‘identification’ and ‘antagonism’. Bringing in illustrative vignettes from discussions in a teacher education classroom, as well as some recent neuroscience research, I gesture towards the power of identification and antagonism in fomenting confidence and collective resolve. I also draw from those discussions and sources to raise questions about the potential hazards with such collective identification and antagonism, especially those of us who are committed to education—even of ‘them’ whom ‘we’ are utterly opposed.