Throughout history, the human race has divided into nations — into different kinds of peoples, having different inheritances. As recently as the 1960s, we identified ourselves in this way. "He is American." "She is Italian." This was not limited to political distinctions alone; we also treated religion this way. "He is Protestant." "She is Roman Catholic." Even ethnic and racial distinctions were often handled similarly.
By the time we entered the 1990s, however, a new term had entered our everyday vocabulary: "identity." That term is now used nearly everywhere — sometimes consciously, sometimes simply because it is around and available. Instead of being an "American," we might say, "my identity is American," or "my gender identity is male," or "my religious identity is Protestant," or "my ethnic identity is Greek." What is going on here? Why add the term "identity" when, a generation before, it seemed unnecessary?
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