Abstract

In this paper I explore Stuart Hall's account of identity as both historically and socially produced (Foucault) and as connected to the question of difference (Derrida). My purpose is to examine the relevance of Stuart Hall's reading of notions such as identity and difference, but also to offer some examples of how such notions can be specifically thought of in operative terms. It is my contention that afro-diasporic aesthetics is the right place to look at in order to grasp such an operative role.