Identity Construction and the Other-Than-Human
In the past one of the areas of study and commentary on this blog has looked at identity and popular culture narratives in the form of vampires and Otherkin. I hadn’t come across this recently until I started reflecting on philosopher Charles Taylor’s influential work related to secular modernity. In his book A Secular Age he notes that secularism involves an emphasis on subjective, constructed identities. Many times in modernity our identities are largely evolving subjective constructs with little connection to broader community considerations. Pop culture plays a significant part in the process of identity construction, particularly in the case of those who believe they have an “Other-Than-Human” identity. I recently came across a couple of journal papers on this, one by Clive Baldwin and Lauren Reply from QSR, and the other by Devin Proctor in Engaging Science, Technology, and Society. Proctor’s paper focuses on Otherkin, while Baldwin and Ripley’s looks at Otherkin, Therianthropes, and Vampires. The latter article defines these groups as follows: “Otherkin are those who identify, in whole or in part, as other-than-human.” This includes “dragonskin, angelkin, elvenkin, unicornkin, and so on.” Therians are those “who identify, in whole or in part, as other-than-human, but as Earth animals such as wolves, dogs, cats, cheetahs, and so on.” Vampire identity is understood as those who need human blood or energy for sustenance.
One of the more interesting aspects of the Baldwin and Ripley study on these groups and the importance of narrative in identity construction comes by way of this paragraph:
“Otherkin and Therians do not consciously create the identity, rather it is something present at birth, eventually realized as they ‘awaken’ to their true identities. In this way, some participants compare it to transgender identity, where one feels and identifies with the gender opposite to that which they were designated at birth.”
Various “other-than-human” groups make for a fascinating study in subjective narrative construction often resourced by aspects of popular culture such as fantasy or horror narratives. To read the Baldwin and Ripley study click here. For Proctor visit this link.
