This anthology provides the definitive theoretical sources of contemporary thinking about identity, including explorations of race, class, gender, and nationality. * Explores the long and rich tradition of philosophical analysis and debate over the genesis, contours, and political effects of identity categories.

This anthology marks the first time that the key essays in the long tradition of philosophical debate surrounding identity categories have been brought together in one volume.

Identities comprises the essays that have shaped discussions of identity across disciplines, including selections from Hegel, Marx, Freud, Du Bois, de Beauvoir, Lukács, Fanon, Hall, Guha, Hobsbawm, Wittig, Butler, Halperin, Robertson, Said, and Laclau. It focuses both on general analyses of the genesis, contours, and political effects of social identities and also on specific analyses of particular identity categories such as race/ethnicity, gender/sexuality, class, and nationality.The breadth and depth of analysis provide a comparative study of identities through multiple theoretical frameworks, making this a perfect classroom text and resource for theorists.