Political Identity, Democratic Empowerment, and Political Learning

Political identity plays a decisive role in how one engages with politics. Political identities are manifold and constantly developed due to societal transformations, new technologies and ways of communicating. Identity not only determines who we are, but also how we behave, and represents an important field of study. Still, it is surprising that not much work has been done on individual identity development processes in order to improve understandings of the role of political identity in politics. Political scientists often take for granted political identity, like in the form of political party affiliation, without considering how it is formed. Political identity often develops through empowerment processes via the subjective acquisition of political roles. This chapter examines the link between political identity formation and learning. The aim is to bridge the complex relations between political behaviour and manifestations of democratic political identities and discuss future possibilities for political engagement and action.