Analysis Of Identity Crisis From Foucault's Perspective

Identity crisis has been a hot issue in modern society and also in academic area. It expresses the feeling of failure in self-awareness, and the feeling of lost and exile.This thesis begins with a brief introduction of the concepts of identity, and analyses the difference of concept of identity between Chinese and English languages, focusing on studying the three representative philosophers' ideology on the development of identity theories, and at last reveals the theoretical root of discourse of identity crisis in the late 19 century. The third chapter explores identity in traditional Chinese society and its conversion from 16th century, especially from the late 19th century. It argues that the reason of identity crisis in China results from the identification with the discourse of the west. Chinese modernization is the process of westernation. So when we enter the era of globalization, China is gradually going into the stage under the manipulation of western discourse. The forth chapter examines the cause of the identity crisis in contemporary society in China. In plane world people identifies the hyperreal simulacrum, and the crisis appears in these simulacrums. The cultural identity is the result of identification of politics-culture, and this identity is based on the feeling of crisis. The discourse of crisis can have more powerful effect through the spread of mass media. Thereby, it can make everyone become the one of identity crisis.However, when studying the identity in some subcultural groups, there is no crisis in them. They seek for the non-identity feeling by the process of continuous self-denial, as is the new identity way in post-modern society.