Cultural Identity

Introduction

The theme of Cultural Identity invites participants to explore, express, and celebrate who they are – both as individuals and as members of diverse cultural communities. For Afrodiasporic people living in Europe, cultural identity often reflects a complex combination of heritage, migration, adaptation, and resistance. These lived experiences are rarely represented in mainstream narratives, and when they do appear, they are often misrepresented or reduced to harmful stereotypes. This topic aims to shift that dynamic by creating space for reflection, creativity, and self-representation. Cultural identity is both deeply personal and fundamentally social. It shapes self-perception and the ways individuals connect with others. For many people, it is lived at the intersection of different worlds – rooted in traditions, languages, and histories, while navigating contexts in which those identities may be overlooked or misunderstood. This topic offers a space for reflecting on personal roots, exploring lived experiences, and using individual stories as tools for empowerment and connection.

What Is Identity?

Identity is complex and layered. At a basic level, it refers to personal and distinctive information that allows individuals to be recognised, especially in official or bureaucratic contexts. But identity goes far beyond documents. It is also a philosophical and human concept linked to the idea of being oneself and remaining oneself over time. The term comes from the Latin identitas, meaning “sameness.” Identity has a deep personal dimension, shaped by one’s own sense of being a unique person and, at the same time, someone who belongs to broader social groups such as family, cultural communities, or nations. Identity is not shaped only from within; it is also influenced by how others perceive, recognize, and position individuals in society. It is a constant dialogue between self-perception and external perception.

Cultural identity focuses on shared values, behaviours, traditions, and languages that connect people within a group. It evolves as individuals grow and as life experiences change. Cultural identity consists of many elements connected to different communities and shifts depending on context and time. Identity involves several tensions, such as balancing differences and belonging. It connects individuals with others, while also distinguishing each person as unique. Another tension is between the personal and the universal: identity exists in the space between individuality and collective belonging. Identity is also not fixed, it is an ongoing process shaped by both tradition (background and life story) and freedom (personal choices, values, and actions).

On a social level, identity refers to how individuals are categorized, included, or excluded within society. Social identity often depends on how the majority perceives and labels people based on characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, age, class, or profession. Sometimes these identities are embraced, but other times they are imposed. Jean-Paul Sartre illustrated this relational dimension of identity by describing how individuals define themselves in contrast to others: “I place myself as European in relation to Asians and Black people, as old in relation to the young…” Identity is built through comparison and difference.

Social identity influences rights, duties, and access to resources. It can determine one’s place in social hierarchies. Cultural codes – language, appearance, behaviors – enable people to recognise one another but can also lead individuals to hide parts of themselves or adopt a “social mask” for acceptance. Identity results from multiple layers – internal and external, inherited and chosen, cultural and personal. Understanding identity requires recognising how people define themselves, how others define them, and how these processes interact in a changing world.

The Concept of the “Other”

“There can only be a ‘we’ because there is the ‘other’.”

The “other” is not only the foreigner or the stranger but also anyone perceived as different: the outsider, the non-conformist, the person who does not fit into dominant norms and may therefore be marginalised. Encountering other identities – different ways of thinking and living – plays a key role in understanding oneself. By stepping outside personal perspectives, individuals open the possibility for genuine connection based on mutual recognition of differences.

Elements That Shape Identity

Identity is largely built from the self-image formed throughout life, especially during childhood and adolescence. It is shaped by experiences, relationships, characteristics, and the meanings attributed to them. Key components may include:

  • Age
  • Sex/Gender
  • Name
  • Appearance (physical traits, clothing, hairstyle)
  • Background (family, ethnicity, nationality, religion, language)
  • Everyday environments and places
  • Studies, work, or social roles
  • Living situation and neighborhood
  • Economic conditions
  • Friendships
  • Relationships
  • Health and physical condition
  • Personality traits
  • Behaviours and choices
  • Hobbies, interests, lifestyle
  • Values and goals
  • Historical period and social context

The relevance of each component may change throughout life.

Equality and Protection (ICCPR Article 26)

“All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. The law shall prohibit discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

Social Categorisation and Stereotypes

Social categorisation simplifies the social world by grouping people and situations. It has cognitive and identity-related functions. When interacting with unfamiliar individuals, people often rely on group-based traits – this is where stereotypes appear. Stereotypes generalize characteristics across all members of a group.

Categorisation affects perception through:

  • Accentuation: reducing perceived differences within a group
  • Contrast: exaggerating differences between groups

These shortcuts help organize reality but can distort understanding and relationships.

Boundaries

A boundary is something that separates and unites—a threshold where something ends and something new begins. It represents difference, otherness, and the possibility of encounter.

Identity, Stereotypes, and Change

Although stereotypes and categories are deeply rooted and reinforced online (especially where anonymity increases hostility), research shows that education and reflection can reduce their influence.

Possible strategies include:

  • Re-categorisation: recognizing broader shared identities (e.g., humanity)
  • De-categorisation / individualisation: recognizing the uniqueness of each person

Social comparison also shapes identity and influences how groups perceive one another. Human beings naturally simplify reality, creating categories to make sense of the world. Through self-categorisation, individuals also place themselves into groups, which provide belonging and a sense of well-being.