The Importance of Who We Are

This chapter explains why personal identities are important and why feminist ethicists care about them. The concept of a personal identity is analyzed as a social construction. The chapter points out that identities are always multiple and relational, and often unchosen. This is followed by a discussion of the narrative constitution of identities and what that implies. Then comes an explanation of how gender damages identities and what can be done about it by means of counterstories. The chapter ends with a meditation on why it’s so difficult for counterstories to get the social uptake they need if they are to repair the identity.