(Expansion) – The concept or notion of political identity suggests that people of a certain race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social origin, or other identification factors, develop agendas that are based on these identities.
In one way or another, the concept of oppression is placed at the center, which derives from their belonging to these groups. From this they build an agenda. There is even talk of an intersectional perspective that accounts for the diversity of factors that interact, such as class, religion, and gender, among others. The mixture of them is what builds identity, and based on it, priorities are determined on the political agenda.
Identity politics can be from the left or from the right. For example, on the right are identity movements like Ulster, Islamists, and European nationalist groups. On the left, the queer movement and #Metoo, among others.
All these concepts have become relevant in recent days, after the resignation of Liz Truss as prime minister in the United Kingdom and the possibility, already consummated, of having for the first time a non-white prime minister, of Indian descent, and a practicing Hindu, Rishi Sunak.
The media has concentrated much of its coverage on precisely these events, highlighting her parents’ arrival in the UK from East Africa in the 1960s and her membership of an ethnic minority. His father, Yashvir, is a native Kenyan doctor, while his mother, Usha, is a pharmacist and was born in Tanzania. The Indian roots go back to the grandparents, born in Punjab.
It is a significant and far-reaching fact that Rishi Sunak is the first British-Asian person to become Prime Minister. In 2015, for example, in an interview with Business Standard, the now Prime Minister acknowledged that in the population census he checks the box for British Indian, and although he is recognized as British, there is an Indian religious and cultural heritage that at all times clothes him
Notwithstanding the foregoing, and without wanting to reduce the significance of his appointment, it is necessary to recognize other facts, and assess the relevance of his appointment within the framework of all the elements of his identity. Rishi Sunak studied at Winchester College, a world-renowned school and boarding school that has trained distinguished British politicians for centuries.
Like the vast majority of politicians in this country, he too is a product of the “oxbridge” educational system (a nickname by which the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are jointly known). He studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lincoln College, at the University of Oxford and obtained an MBA from Stanford University. Before entering politics, Sunak worked at one of the world’s largest investment banks, Goldman Sachs. He is the founder of a hedge fund company (Theleme Partners) and an investment company (Catamaran Ventures). Rishi Sunak is one of the richest British politicians in history. In 2009, he married Akshata Murty, heiress to NR Narayana Murthy, an Indian billionaire who founded the computer giant Infosys.
According to data from the Washington Post, they have an estimated net worth of more than 730 million pounds ($830 million). The Times has reported that they have at least “four properties”, including a 7.2 million pound house in Kensington and a house in Santa Monica (United States) valued at 6 million dollars. By comparison, for example, Queen Elizabeth II before her death, had an estimated net worth of £370 million.
What seems to be a career built on merit, such as working your way through one of the best schools in the UK, Winchester College, having studied at one of the most prestigious universities in the world, the University of Oxford, and then Having obtained an MBA from Stanford University as a Fulbright scholar, he was already placed in a privileged position. Added to this is his experience in the private sector at Goldman Sachs and as a hedge fund manager.
The above ticks all the necessary boxes to hold the highest political office in the UK. Thus, although some of his identity factors are unique, in many others, he is a classic conservative politician. These credentials seem to have generated a greater weight in determining the election, counteracting those who, due to their Afro-British origins, could have rejected him.
Given the evident economic crisis that is observed in that country, and what is coming for the rest of Europe, the appointment of a prime minister whose agenda seems economically orthodox, although his ethnic origins, is not surprising. Political identity became relevant in his election. In this case, their ideological profile, their educational background and social class most likely loaded the balance. Especially considering what these characteristics can mean in the formation of its government agenda.
Editor’s Note: Fernanda Vidal Correa is a Research Professor at the Universidad Panamericana, Mexico Campus. PhD in Political Science from the Politics Department of the University of Sheffield. Master in Scientific Research Methodologies from the same Department. Follow her on . The opinions published in this column correspond exclusively to the author.
