Beyond the cultural turn: Indigenous identity and mainstream identity

Abstract

Stuart Hall, a prominent scholar of cultural studies, has noted that the discussion of the cultural turn tends to emphasize the importance of the definition of culture. To indigenous people all over the world, facing the globalized new world order means to reflect their own complex whole. Under the severe impacts of both the globalization and the neoliberal movement, indigenous people still struggle to deal with the controversy between their indigenous and mainstream identities. In this article, I first review the current research related to identity issues. Second, I interpret the current findings of indigenous identity. Third, I review the existing literature related to the issues of the life stage of identification in order to discuss the dialectic between tribal and mainstream identities. Finally, I conclude with possible ways to revisit the dual problem beyond the cultural turn.