Identity as a Macro- and Micro- Discursive Construct: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

Abstract

The article explores interdisciplinary approaches to the study of identity as a dynamic discursive construct shaped by both dominant D-Discourses and d-discursive practices. From a constructionist perspective, identities are formed through mythologems, ideologemes, and symbols within myth-symbolic systems shaped by Discourses and grand narratives. This study adopts a social constructionist perspective, aligning with discourse-oriented theories of identity associated with Foucault and Hall, in which identity is understood as discursively produced and continuously rearticulated. In this context, identity is conceptualized through critical discourse analysis, social semiotics, macro-narrative analysis, memory field theories, and ethno-symbolic concepts. The formation of identity through D-Discourses relies on a secondary semiotic system, which infuses signs with ideological or mythological meanings, shaping recipients’ worldviews. Micro-approaches to identity analysis view it as a conditional product of verbal interactions, in which individuals engage in both self-categorization and mutual categorization. Micro-approaches, such as positioning theory, conversation analysis, interactional sociolinguistics, and narrative-in-interaction research, conceptualize identity as an emergent, positional, intersubjective, and variable category. Both approaches have limitations: micro-approaches may overlook the influence of institutional and sociocultural structures on identity formation, while macro-approaches tend to overgeneralize and underestimate individual agency. The study highlights the potential of integrative analysis using approaches such as interactional sociolinguistics, narrative-in-interaction analysis, and positioning theory, which connect micro-level interactions with macro-level cultural and social processes. In contemporary technologically mediated contexts, identity formation is increasingly influenced by social media platforms and AI-assisted communication systems, which intensify processes of digital fragmentation and raise new challenges related to authenticity and platform-mediated self-representation.