Identity

For the Fourth of July, we're highlighting some of our favorite Pacific Standard stories on expressions of patriotism and American identity.

New research finds a majority of Americans are tired of political polarization, and are looking for compromise.

New research finds that fused identity apparently produces a predisposition toward authoritarianism and support for punitive punishments.

Political science professors are increasingly being forced to choose which form of inclusivity to prioritize. That decision will have a large impact on the face of higher education for decades to come.

The landmark legislation gives citizens the right to choose their gender identity and to have it recognized on official documents such as passports.

The Canadian Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that alters the English-language version of O Canada to become gender neutral.

A new study shows imagining future success can help with facing everyday challenges for low-income college students.

New data suggests the future of America is one of inclusivity. That doesn't mean we won't encounter speed bumps getting there.

For anyone who isn't a straight man, sexual education and the media can get sexuality wrong. Fan fiction is helping change that.

After 50 years of a mononymous life, the eldest son of civil rights legend Dick Gregory is ready to make a change.

Research on neurodegenerative diseases suggests that, more than anything else, moral traits like kindness and integrity define who we are.

Adele Barker brought Noah home from Paraguay in 1987. Now, 28 years later, she’s not sure whose story is accurate. Can we ever really know?

Republicans talk about ideology and Democrats talk about groups—but they may be talking about the same thing.

Physically co-present with the sociologist Nathan Jurgenson during a break from his battle to dismantle the artificial barrier we’ve raised between life online and in the outside world.

After I moved to Wisconsin to pursue an education, other people’s racial perceptions began to pursue me.

By choice or by circumstance, exiting sport is inevitable. What happens after is less certain.

To cheer for a team, or a sport, is to become part of a larger social phenomenon. Food is another—important—part of that shared identity.

Hybrid configurations of masculinity enable young, straight, white men to distance themselves from what they might perceive as something akin to the stigma of privilege.

One writer proposes a simple solution that shouldn't offend anyone.

We are almost never reluctant to share a drink with strangers, but sharing meals tends to be reserved for those to whom we wish to signal intimacy.

The European “right to be forgotten” could help protect U.S. citizens against blanket data surveillance.

New research suggests the simple question “Are you a professional artist?” yields confusing, sometimes contradictory answers.

What does identifying as an independent tell us about how somebody will vote? As it turns out, not much. Research suggests this is a (surprisingly large) group that’s focused more on image than policy.

The ongoing debates about gentrification boil down to nothing more than one big turf war.