Kabidenova Zhuldyz

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan

The problem of measuring basic concepts of religious identity

Religious identity can be recognized as one of the first forms of identity of a person, being the basis of the development of social and ethnic consciousness. Religion is becoming a kind of culture code, which is given from one generation to another, determining the moral and norms of social behavior. Religious identity as a part of social identity should be considered through the prism of an “identity” category in a scientific discourse. It is important to differentiate categories: identification and identity. Self-identification is an attempt to understand who am I? Identity is an existential self-determination, which lies in the roots of any cogitation act [1, p.55].

The term "identity" is derived from the Latin root idem and indicates the similarity and connection with anything. In addition, it serves as a category of social and human sciences (psychology, social philosophy, cultural anthropology, social psychology, etc.) and uses for describing individuals and groups as the relatively stable, “identical to themselves” integrities. The identity is not a property (i.e. something inherent in the individual initially) but the attitude. It forms and fixes (or on the contrary redefines and transforms) only during the social interaction [2].

It is known, that self-identification is the desire to determine “what I am in reality”. Moreover, the identity is the existential self-determination that underlies an act of thinking [1].

According to the theory of a well-known researcher E. Ericsson, an identity crisis occurs during the severe disruption of gradually-and-forth process of social adaptation, caused by external or internal factors. The result of crisis, as a rule, is the next stage in the formation of identity and socialization, the crisis itself acts in this case as a stimulus [4]. American political scientist Samuel Huntington noted that identity is self-consciousness of the individual or group. It is a product of self-identification, understanding of the fact that you or I possess special qualities that distinguish me from you and us from them. As long as people interact with their environment, they have no other choice but to define themselves in relation to others and to identify similarities and differences they found [5]. At the present stage of historical, cultural and philosophical apprehension of identity phenomenon post-modern discourse of this problem is of some importance and concern. R. Deacon (2003) referring to the texts on the study of subjectivity by Michel Foucault notes that individual as the bearer of identity is an ambiguous creature, whose individual rights are subject to the laws of nature and society – this is yet another of many so called “dependent sovereignties” invented by humanism, though there is also the soul (that is ruling over the body, but subordinate to God), consciousness (that is independent in the context of making judgments, but depending on the requirements of truth) ... and basic freedom (that is independent inside, but accepting the requirements of external world and surrender to destiny). Accordingly, identity is a political construction that takes place against the background of the spectrum of sedimented practices [6].

Here the individual is a product of power. Stating that the heroism of political identity is obsolete Foucault said that the main point now consists in the questions that are put in facing the problems. Experiment rather than participation is important. Identity is not a given, an attribute on which basis “participation” in politics takes place; first and foremost identity should carry on “experiments” that lead to the fact that the politics becomes infinitely fluid and is inextricably linked with knowledge. Once religions demanded the sacrifice of human body; knowledge nowadays calls for experiments on us, to sacrifice the subject of knowledge.

In addition to natural age-related crises and contingencies may arise. According to N.T. Muratalieva all the new independent states of Central Asia are now characterized by the absence of a clear national identity constructed. The concept of national identity is one of the topical aspects of state development. The erosion of traditional patterns of identification, provoked by globalization exacerbates the problem of choice of identity [7].

V. Krylov determines the problem of the identity origin using the hermeneutical approach and leaning on the Christian aspect. There is the biblical story of humankind that starts with the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “And saw the wife that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and it was also desirable for gaining wisdom; and she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave it to her husband and he ate. And opened the eyes of them both and they realized that they were naked...”. Thus, according to the Bible, the man disobeyed and opposed himself to God. The theologians say that the Fall of the man changed his nature and his life was filled with misery, strife, famine, death and etc. The man realized not only his physical nakedness, but also its weakness and helplessness, and estrangement from the God led to the search for answers to such eternal questions as essence, value, integrity of life and his own “I” [8].

Russian researcher Kon I. gives consideration to the three principal modalities of identity: psychophysiological, social and individual. Psychophysiological identity means integrity of physiological and mental processes of the organism, according to which your own cells can differ from cells of another person. Social identity represents experience and understanding of the belonging to any social community. Once, having identified himself as a part of a certain social community, a person, transforms from a biological individual to a social personality, which helps him reflect on “We” and “They” issues. Self-Identity or the so-called self-identification is “the unity and continuity of life activity, aims, motives and mindsets of a person” [9]

Identity is self-actualization of an individual or a group. It is the product of self-identification, the understanding of the fact that you and I have special qualities which distinguish me from you and us from them [5].

In the number of researches, the religious identity examines considering its belonging to the religion. On the one hand, the religion serves as some kind of the beginning, which enables the implementation of the identification; on the other hand, it is an institution where people can identify themselves in different social contexts. In the process of identification and socialization, a person learns religious norms, stereotypes, patterns of behavior prescribed by the religious doctrine.

References:

1. Shemanov, A.Ju. (2007) Samoidentifikacitciy cheloveka i kul'tura, (Moscow, Akademicheskiy proekt), p. 479

2. Stepin, V.S. (2001) Novaya filosofskaya entciklopediya, (Moscow, Mysl')

3. Krylov V. I. Religioznaya identichnost’: individualnoye I kollektivnoye samosoznaniye v postindustrialnom prostranstve. – М.: Izdatelstvo NIB, 2012

4. Erikson E. Identichnost’: yunost’ I krizis: perevod s angl./ obsch.red. i predisl. Tolstykh А.V. – М.: Izdatelskaya gruppa «Progress», 1996.

5. Huntington, Samuel (2004) Who Are We? The Challenges to America’s National Identity

6. Fuko M. (2008) ‘Tehnologii sebya’ Logos 2(65), p. 96-122

7. Muratalieva N.T. National identity in Central Asia as a basis for the development of the region. - http://www.easttime.ru/reganalitic

8. Krylov V. I. Religioznaya identichnost’: individualnoye I kollektivnoye samosoznaniye v postindustrialnom prostranstve. – М.: Izdatelstvo NIB, 2012

9. Kon I. S. (1984) V poiskah sebya Lichnost' i ee samosoznanie, Moscow.