Week 6 Stuart Hall- Kayla Lor

Stuart Hall argues in their article "Cultural Identity and Diaspora" that there is more than one definition of cultural identity.  Hall explains that one definition is an identity that emphasizes the similarities amongst different groups of people, which Hall calls an essential identity.  Because the essential identity is about similarities amongst different groups, Hall argues that this is the kind of identity that inspires ideas such as activism and others such as feminism.   But one downfall of this is that Hall explains how essential identity doesn't help understanding trauma from the colonial experience.  Which is why Hall also brings up the second explanation, which specifies more on the differences and similarities of imagined communities based on difference experiences and has history.  Hall clarifies that it is only from the second definition that people will be able to properly understand the colonial experience.  What really struck me in this article is that Hall emphasizes the importance of dealing with the trauma of colonization through cultural identity.  I think it’s important to understand the connection of the colonial experience as well as the cultural identity that we adopt.  One question that I want to ask is how can one balance the between Hall’s two definition of cultural identity?  Is there is a need for balance or could the definition be fluid?

Works cited:

Hall, Stuart (1990) ‘Cultural identity and diaspora’ in Jonathan Rutherford (ed.) Identity: community, culture, difference, London: Lawrence & Wishart

Picture: http://regional-dialogue.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/components.jpg