How ethnic identity becomes real

The enactment of identity roles and the material manifestation of shifting identities among the Nagas

Bibliographic Data

ID6039766
AuthorsMarion Wettstein (University of Vienna, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume17
Issue3
Pages384-399
Publication date2016-07-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Ethnicity (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1463-1369 • E-ISSN: 1469-2953
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14631369.2015.1091653
OpenAlexW2265008896
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited20

Taking the material and performative world of the Nagas in Northeast India by way of example, this paper examines how identity, above all ‘ethnic’ identity, is manifested and gets incorporated into the understanding that people have of themselves. Following the shifts in identity over time by comparing ritual performances at the turn of the last century with present-day festivals in Nagaland, it is argued that the enactment of identity roles in public performative events provides a mechanism that makes identity concepts such as ‘ethnic identity’ real to people. The liminoid state during the performance enables individuals to live through identity roles emotionally, mentally, and somatically. It is suggested that the enactment of identity roles in public performances can thus be taken as a key to explain why and how identities can shift over time and between contexts

Aesthetics · Cultural identity · Ethnic group · Identity formation · Performative utterance · Self-concept · Social group · Social identity approach · Social identity theory · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Computer Science · Cultural, Psychoanalytic, and Sociopolitical Reflections · Gender Studies · Philosophy · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Social Science and Policy Research

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