Politicalide

Politicalide is a neologism used in political theory to denote an ideology centered on the primacy of political identity in shaping beliefs, values, and policy preferences. It is not a single, universally defined creed; rather, it describes a family of approaches in which identity considerations—such as ethnicity, nationality, gender, class, or other social categories—play a central role in formulating political aims and organizing collective action.

The term is not widely standardized and appears mainly in academic discussions of identity politics and ideological categorization. When used, politicalide signals an emphasis on how group membership structures political loyalties, the framing of issues, and the coalition-building strategies that parties or movements employ to mobilize support.

Common features attributed to a politicalide include normative commitments anchored in group-based rights or claims, policy packages that address perceived grievances of identified groups, and an emphasis on redistributing political influence. It can intersect with, or be distinguished from, other strands such as civic nationalism, left-right economic ideology, or liberal pluralism, depending on which identities are foregrounded.

Critics argue that politicalide risks essentializing identities, oversimplifying policy complexity, or prioritizing membership over universal principles. Proponents counter that recognizing identity-driven concerns can reveal power dynamics often ignored by issue-based analyses, and that political ideologies are best understood as responsive to social identities rather than purely abstract principles.