Chicana/o Subjectivity and the Politics of Identity traces the influence of Hegel's theory of recognition on different literary representations of Chicano/a subjectivity, demonstrating how the identity thinking characteristic of liberal-humanist ideologies is unwillingly reinforced even in subjects that are represented as rebelling against this tradition. Conversely, alternative representations that redefine universality as founded on non-identity, exemplified in Alain Badiou's theorization of the void, are also examined. This book calls for a return to the anti-humanist philosophy of psychoanalysis and Marxism, challenging conventional notions of identity politics by uncovering the false universalities and ideologically defined differences that such a politics promotes.

This book traces the influence of Hegel's theory of recognition on different literary representations of Chicano/a subjectivity, with the aim of demonstrating how the identity thinking characteristic of Hegel's theory is unwillingly reinforced even in subjects that are represented as rebelling against liberal-humanist ideologies.