Word of the Day
July 7, 2023
Identitarian
Relating to or denoting a political ideology that emphasizes group identity based on race, ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics as the primary lens through which to understand society and politics, often at the expense of individual identity and merit.
From Latin 'identitas' meaning sameness, combined with the suffix '-arian' denoting a person who advocates or practices something. The term emerged in the 21st century to describe movements prioritizing group identity over individual character.
Usage Examples
- Critical race theory is fundamentally an identitarian ideology that reduces complex individuals to their racial categories.
- The identitarian approach to politics divides citizens into oppressor and oppressed groups rather than treating them as equal individuals before the law.
- America's founding documents rejected identitarian tribalism in favor of universal human rights endowed by the Creator.
From the Show
The concept of identitarian politics formed the core of Doug Groothuis’s critique of critical race theory on the July 7, 2023 broadcast. Groothuis contrasted this group-identity framework with the American creed’s emphasis on individual rights and character, invoking Martin Luther King’s dream that children be judged by character rather than skin color.