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      The Neoliberal Co-Optation of Identity Politics: Geo-Political Situatedness as a Decolonial Discussion Partner

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            Abstract

            Responding to the 2016 United States Presidential election, this piece contests that the popularly deployed phrase “identity politics” is not Identity Politics as articulated by Black feminists of the Combahee River Collective but is rather a neoliberal co-optation of Identity Politics. By situating neoliberalism and the Black feminists that articulated Identity Politics as historical contemporaries, the piece argues that as the former spread to institutions like universities it co-opted, depoliticized, a-historicized, and misappropriated the latter. The piece concludes by offering “Geo-Political Situatedness” as a theoretical frame that undermines neoliberalism's co-optation of Identity Politics.

            Key words: Neoliberalism, Identity Politics, Black feminism, Combahee River Collective

            Respondiendo a las elecciones presidenciales E.E.U.U. del 2016, este proyecto argumenta que la frase “identity politics” en su uso popular no es la Política de Identidad originalmente articulada por las feministas Negras del Combahee River Collective pero es una cooptación neoliberal de la Política de Identidad. Situando el neoliberalismo y las feministas Negras que articularon la Política de Identidad como contemporáneos, este proyecto sugiere que cuando el neoliberalismo se expandió a instituciones como universidades pudo cooptar, de-politizar, mal-apropiar, y sacar de su contexto histórico la Política de Identidad. El proyecto concluye ofreciendo el concepto de “Geo-Political Situatedness” como un marco teórico que debilita la cooptación neoliberal de la Política de Identidad.

            Key words: Neoliberalismo, Política de Identidad, Feminismo Negro, Combahee River Collective

            Em resposta às eleições presidenciais dos Estados Unidos em 2016, este estudo argumenta que a expressão “identity politics”, popularmente utilizada, não é a Política de Identidade originalmente articulada pelas feministas negras do Combahee River Collective, mas sim uma cooptação neoliberal da Política de Identidade. Colocando o neoliberalismo e as feministas negras que articularam a Identidade Política como contemporâneos, este estudo sugere que, quando o neoliberalismo se expandiu para instituições como universidades, foi capaz de cooptar, despolitizar, apropriar-se indevidamente e remover a Política de Identidade de seu contexto histórico. O estudo conclui oferecendo o conceito de “GeoPolitical Situness” como referencial teórico que enfraquece a cooptação neoliberal da Política de Identidade.

            Key words: Neoliberalism, política de identidade, Feminismo Negro, Combahee River Coletiva

            Content

            Author and article information

            Journal
            10.2307/j50019322
            decohori
            Horizontes Decoloniales / Decolonial Horizons
            Pluto Journals
            2545-8728
            2422-6343
            1 January 2019
            : 5
            : ( doiID: 10.13169/decohori.5.issue-1 )
            : 101-130
            Article
            decohori.5.1.0101
            10.13169/decohori.5.1.0101
            afa13f2b-5df0-4eaa-88c1-e4368e1eeb0b
            © Decolonial Horizons Board

            All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

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            Social & Behavioral Sciences

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