Political Identity Formation

The word "political" encompasses a wide range of values and beliefs. Though generally associated with one's view of politics or support of political parties, having a political identity embraces a much wider swath of human persona and behavior. My political identity is liberal but not so much liberal in the sense that is readily associated with the Democratic Party. My sense of liberalism encompasses, at its core, a moral philosophy and the concept of universalism. This essay will reveal the values and beliefs within my political identity, my aims as an educator and change agent in light of this identity, and an assessment of the political identity of my coworkers.

There are two main concepts built into the foundation of my political identity. The first of these is the concept of universalism. This is not to say there is no room for the particular, only to say that law, education, and other social institutions must revolve around the universals that connect all human beings. As Boyle described it, "Within a particular vision of education, universalism and university define each other. Universalism�is a way of knowing, an idea of morality and above all, a mode of life a plan for living" (4). Within universalism must be a moral code by which to guide conduct or political activism within the educational arena. As a change agent, the universal worldview is best served to me by the Kantian moral philosophy known as the c

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e it only acts as a crutch for such groups and not a means of self-directed progress. All too often this group fails to see that such supports are often necessary to level the educational playing field for those minority groups who have been historically marginalized in U.S. social institutions, like African Americans and women. The other camp is conservative as well, but they adopt a distinct political identity. In this camp are those who believe that they grant power instead of share power. They believe that only the teacher or principal is the authority figure and students are always viewed in a subservient role. As well, instead of empowering students to become leaders, this group uses coercion to get students to achieve but only in so far as they do not challenge authority figures. To me, this political identity robs students of their potential to become co-teachers or leaders in their own right. This is because it denies them the opportunity to become their own authority through artificially imposed and false limitations on development. As Baldwin wrote in The Fire Next Time, it is only through one's own authentic struggles that the individual learns more about himself or herself than formal education can ever offer

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