Question

"We all have more than one identity and can belong to more than one social group". Discuss the statement by giving suitable examples.

Answer 1

i) Carlos and Smith were similar in one way (both were African-American) and thus different from Norman who was white. But they were also all similar in other ways – they were all athletes who stood against racial discrimination.

ii) It is fairly common for people belonging to the same religion to feel that they do not belong to the same community because their caste or sect is very different. For example, people of Northern Ireland and Netherlands are predominantly Christians but are subdivided into Catholics and Protestants.

iii) Rich and poor persons from the same family often do not keep close relations with each other for they feel they are very different. Thus, we all have more than one identity and can belong to more than one social group. We have different identities in different contexts.