Prefacing the book Sociolinguistics of identity, the editors, Omoniyi and White (2006) take readers on brief tour—covering milestones in the evolution of identity as a sociolinguistic concept.
The genesis story starts with variationinst sociolinguistics and, in tandem, thvariationistconceptualization of identity merely as the stable distribution of social and linguistic values among a certain population. Later, the prosperity of sociolinguistics as a scholarly discipline in late modernity brought about a more panoramic view of identity: one that encompasses a range of social theories. Then, six main identity-related principles gained prevalence: that identity is fluid and ever-changing; that it varies and is constructed within established contexts; that those contexts are filtered with social variables and expressed through language(s); that, whether we place importance on it not, identity plays a significant role in all communicative acts since it shapes these acts and the relevant social relationships; and that—in a given context—several identities can be established and negotiated through a dynamic of identity management.
Although—compared to previous perceptions of identity—these poststructuralist ideas seemed to account more for the complexity of identity, several scholars still contested them in favor of a more dialectical position. For instance, according to Block, socially-established identities, such as gender and ethnicity, are not the only means for defining the identities speakers assume: speakers participate in different communities of practice, such as school, family and work, and thus create some identities in relationship to these communities.
Moreover, while Block concurs that some side of identity can change and be constructed in the shadow of social constructs, he goes beyond that; he sheds lights on the speaker not only as a social being coloring according to contexts and milieus but also as a wholly-existing being with an anchored core of "the psychological self" that shines through in moments of introspection. I actually appreciate this insight since it attributes more value to the human by looking beyond the rhetorical and strategical act of changing of hats. Block's approach, in my opinion, reverences the uniqueness of the individual.
The editors, after that, survey a number of case studies that build on or challenge the aforementioned theorizations on identity. For example, they preview Suleiman and his detailing of the interrelationship between language and national identity; Jenkins and L2 English speakers' attempts to claim an identity in the hegemonic discourse through the uncomfortable assumption of a native accent; Llamas and the relationship between language, age, and the sense of local membership; Burbano-Elizondo and the two levels of language indexicality (one as the links established between form and social meaning and the other as the ways speakers rationalize these links); Sallabank and the disconnection between language loss and ethnic identity; Mullany and the clash between professional and gender identities; Preece and nonnative undergraduates' attempts to compensate for a presumably inadequate membership in the academic community; Spotti and the school's role in identity construction; and White and the rapport between language, national identity, and post-colonialism.
I think this book would be recommendable for those interested in learning the ABC of sociolinguistic theories of identity. It would also be recommendable to researchers who seek to configure the methodologies and approaches through which studies of practical manifestations of identity in different communities can be conducted. Noteworthy, however, is that—despite their abundance—the studies included here are by no means applicable throughout all contexts, for each situation is the product of its own cultural, social, historical, linguistic, political, religious and socio-economic intricacies that grant it almost irreplaceable subtleties. I take this into consideration in my upcoming analysis of identity in Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry by avoiding generalizations and acknowledging the influence of her own life experience on the formation of her Arab American identity.
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