Cultivating Political and Public Identity

'This book is original, unexpected, witty, erudite, yet uncannily topical. Reinvigorated by social media, issues of identity are among the most pressing of contemporary problems. Barker's book - covering clothes and theology, democratic theory and leaders, power and associations - is a vivid contribution to understanding what makes us what we are now.'
Jean Seaton, Professor of Media History, University of Westminster

'Rodney Barker shows that a theoretical investigation of identity need not be opaque and complicated. His analysis goes beyond economics and politics to include religion, language, music, satire, architecture, transportation and food, making a significant contribution to understanding "why plumage matters." A fascinating and erudite study.'
Jonathan Mercer, Professor of Political Science, University of Washington

Throughout the twentieth century, everyone from Marxists to economic individualists assumed that social and political activity was driven by the rational pursuit of material gain. Today, the fundamental importance of the cultivation and preservation of identity is finally re-emerging.

In this book, Rodney Barker explores the rich fabric of speech, dress, diet and the built environment from which human identity is made. The colour of a scarf or the accent of a conversation can unite people or divide them, and the smallest detail can play its part in signalling who are allies and who are enemies. Identity simultaneously generates equality and inequality - it is both the engine of public life and the cause of its confusion and conflict - and a better understanding of its subtleties is crucial if we are to confront the tensions that it produces in society.

Synthesising methods and ideas from numerous disciplines - including history, political science, anthropology, law and sociology - Barker presents a picture of human life as more than just a collection of material interests. His ultimate aim is to show that no human activity is trivial or meaningless, that everything counts and plumage matters.