Isuf Berisha at Summer School as School 2021
Friday, August 13, 2021, 20:00
Venue: Bocing Club
Isuf Berisha: Identity and the Other/s
By taking the relations with the Other/s as a defining moment of identity, the author of this presentation considers the formation and/or transformation processes and mechanisms of social identities. The author introduces the concepts identity situation and function of identity in order to further explain the transformation process of social identities.
The identity situation of social entity is defined by its relations with the others, in which or through which certain identities are formed or transformed. Social subjects or entities enter into relations with Other/s in order to achieve certain goals. All social entities before any anticipated relation with the Other/s and/or during that relation conduct a permanent rational, economic re/organization of all their symbolic resources or moments of identification to achieve the best results in their projected goals in these relations. The optimal result of this rational, economic self-organization of social entity is its self-identification for the purpose of achieving its projected goals in relations with the Other/s. Instead of the widely used binomial concepts of “true” and “false” identities, that in fact do not adequately articulate and illuminate this issue, the author uses the term performative identity, which is in a constant dynamic relationship of reciprocal definition with the so-called “intimate” or “real” identity.
Biography
Isuf Berisha is a philosopher and sociologist. He finished Bachelor studies at University of Prishtina (Kosovo), while MA and PhD studies at University of Zagreb (Croatia). He worked for many years in various teaching positions almost in all levels of education. He taught philosophy, logic, critical thinking, cultural studies, sociology, economic sociology, research methods and academic writing.
For many years he was engaged in the field of media in various roles (journalist/writer, media development, media regulation and teaching). He also was involved in the field of civil society; he worked as coordinator/program manager for the Kosova Foundation for Open Society and also served as board member of various think tank groups and research institutes. He was president of Kosova Association of Philosophers and Sociologists and also served as editorial committee member for scientific, professional and cultural journals. He is author and coauthor of several publications and dozens of articles and essays. His latest book Sjećanje, povijest, identitet (Memory, History, Identity) was published earlier this year by Croatian Philosophical Association in Zagreb (Croatia).