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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

identitärer Selbsvergewisserungen

English translation:

self-assurance of one\'s identity

Added to glossary by Ramey Rieger (X)
Feb 13, 2015 10:38
9 yrs ago
German term

identitärer Selbsvergewisserungen

German to English Art/Literary Philosophy Theater performance
And another one. Here, we have relative freedom. I am momentarily at a loss as to how to translate identitär - the dics give me identitarian (generous, but useless as I can't imagine what they are talking about), but a definition for identitarian remains elusive. And then, in combination with self-assuring?

'Only thus can the identifying/identity's self-conviction/self-assurance create a public platform/space for negotiatian, communication and thought.'

Im zirkulären Prozess der Aneignung und in der wiederholten Annäherung an den Text und den theoretischen Raum, den er beschreibt, versucht sie den Text für unsere Erfahrung zu öffnen. Eine solche Öffnung erzeugt die Möglichkeit für Verknüpfungen und eine fließende Ausdehnung über den akademischen Diskurs-Apparat hinaus. Nur so kann die Erfahrung mit dem Text politisch virulent werden. Jenseits der Totalbewirtschaftung des Lebens bzw. identitärer Selbsvergewisserungen kann so ein öffentlicher Raum der Verhandlung, der Verständigung und des Denkens entstehen, in dem wir souverän unsere Angst überwinden und die heitere Kraft dafür erlangen, all das zu tun, von dem wir lange wissen, dass es notwendig ist.

I'm all eyes and ears!
Proposed translations (English)
2 +1 self-assurance of one's identity
3 +1 identitarian self-assurances
4 self-affirmation of identity
3 pursuits of self-validation

Discussion

Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 14, 2015:
The final translation When we go beyond the unmitigated exploitation of life, beyond an identity of self-reassurance, a public platform for negotiation, communication and thinking emerges. A place where we can serenely overcome our fears and attain the buoyant strength to do that which we have long known we must do.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Hello Seehand I'm still waiting for Tony to post it. I agree, it seems the most viable solution thus far.
seehand Feb 13, 2015:
self-reassurance of identity look for Connolly' work
The concept of Selbstvergewisserung (see e.g. Habermas) is indeed sometimes translated as self-reassurance ...
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
@Donald What can I say? I'm speechless.
Donald Jacobson Feb 13, 2015:
From Wikipedia The Identitarian movement is a pan-European socio-political movement started in France in 2002 as a far right youth movement deriving from the French Nouvelle Droite Génération Identitaire. Initially the youth wing of the anti-immigrant, far-right Bloc Identitaire, it has taken on its own identity and is largely classed as a separate entity altogether with the intent of spreading across Europe, a goal that has largely failed to manifest beyond France.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Okay I do tend to over-obviate. Self-reassurance comes closest as yet. Do you want to post it as an answer, Tony, and see what the colleagues think?
Erik Freitag Feb 13, 2015:
Self-aggrandizement I think self-aggrandizement sounds a bit too harsh compared to the source.
TonyTK Feb 13, 2015:
I think ... ... "self-aggrandizement" may be slightly OTT. The "Totalbewirtschaftung" and the "ident. Selbstverg." address two core themes of modern life IMO: the materialisation/economisation/commoditisation of daily life and the resulting need (because we feel disconnected) to find some form of belonging/community/connectedness.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
At the moment I'm toying with self-aggrandizement, as it also implies the insecurities lying behind it.
TonyTK Feb 13, 2015:
As in being insecure ... ... and therefore looking for something to identify with - think Pegida, owning a Rolex, shopping at Waitrose, wearing Gucci heels (oh my poor feet ...).
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
@Susanne Rindlisbacher Self-assertion and self-assurance are two VERY different things! Your self-assertion is quite worth discussion.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Self-reassurance as in complacency? Or as in soothing oneself in the face of fear?
TonyTK Feb 13, 2015:
Ramey, ... ... look down about 9 posts in the discussion box.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
@Tony that term, too, is not as fluid as I need it to be. I think marketing, covers it quite nicely. But what about the term in question?
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Stimmt Erik!
TonyTK Feb 13, 2015:
How about ... ... "commoditisation" (or "commoditization" for inhabitants of our former colony)?
Erik Freitag Feb 13, 2015:
Bewirtschaftung Doesn't your source say "Bewirtschaftung"? Can't see this to mean squander, waste, or fritter away.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
@ Kubo E I would hesitate to limit this to Social Media and self-portrayal, but the idea of self-glorification (hmm, not bad) is certainly inferred.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Verwirtschaftung is also interesting. As a verb it means to squander, waste, fritter away. Here, it certainly means something like marketing - economization is not an English word, and I do NOT support conveniently creating language. Still, Tony, the idea is correct and better than exploitation.
Erik Freitag Feb 13, 2015:
Sure, no doubt about that!
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Yes, Erik, you are quite right. Nonetheless, in order to render an EXCELLENT translation, I need to 'see' what is meant. Words are images.
TonyTK Feb 13, 2015:
I think the ... ... term "Totalbewirtschaftung" refers to the "economisation of life" in the sense that everything we do has to have a "market value".
" ... identitärer Selbsvergewisserungen" is tricky, but I'd say it refers to the "self-reassurance of identity" (worth Googling) in terms of the way we establish our identity by defining ourselves as part of a group (societal/brand/political) that is distinct from other groups, thus giving us a (possibly false) sense of security.
EK Yokohama Feb 13, 2015:
Hi Ramey, I would read this also as an allusion to the widespread use of social media (like Facebook and Twitter) which the author sees primarily as a medium for self-representation (as an act of vanity). Maybe "culture of (public) self-portrayal"?
Erik Freitag Feb 13, 2015:
Words that aren't in the dictionary Dictionaries can never be complete, as languages usually have the ability to form words ad hoc following some rules.

What Duden offers, however, is an explanation of how the suffix "är" behaves when used to form an adjective (see Duden Grammatik, index 988 and 996). Here, it is used to identify the noun (rule 3a).

In the same way, the word "okulär" can't be found in the Rechtschreibduden, yet it is quite clear what it means: relating to the eye.

I really don't think there's that much room for interpretation here.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Hi Anne hence the freedom in translation. The combined term is very much open to interpretation, but from the rest of the text, I assume it lean towards a negative interpretation - identity of arrogance or identity of egotism or identity of self-conviction?
Anne Schulz Feb 13, 2015:
Elusive FWIW, a definition for identitär remains elusive as well. Duden does not know this word, and prominent hits from my search engine place it in the context of palliate racism.
Ramey Rieger (X) (asker) Feb 13, 2015:
Attempt - Only beyond the utter exploitation of life, beyond an identity of self-conviction, can a public platform for negotiation, communication and thought emerge. A place where we can serenely overcome our fears and attain the buoyant strength to do that which we have long known we must do.
EK Yokohama Feb 13, 2015:
"Beyond ... ", not as a subject! "Jenseits ... identitärer Selbstvergewisserungen kann so ein öffentlicher Raum ... entstehen."

Proposed translations

+1
40 mins
German term (edited): identitärer Selbstvergewisserungen
Selected

self-assurance of one's identity

I'd understand "identitär" as "relating to identity" here. No idea whether this will work with "identitarian". Others will find better ways to phrase this, but I think my suggestion will cover the meaning well enough.

I do suspect that this is a pleonasm, though. What else is self-assurance about than one's own identity?
Note from asker:
Thank you!
Peer comment(s):
agree Susanne Rindlisbacher : assertion of one's identity
30 mins
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "This has been VERY difficult, as there is so much to pack into it. In the end, I used identity of self-reassurance, as the text deals with revealing underlying sources of strength beyond an identity of self-reassurance. THANK YOU all, it has been a wonderful, edifying challenge! "
2 hrs

pursuits of self-validation

"..Only thus can textual experience sprout in the political arena. Beyond commodification of life and/or pursuits of self-validation, a public space can be created…"

These are just my suggestions for the basic components. Depending on what you select from it, if anything, and how you handle the rest of the sentence, you could wind up with very different sentence structures, of course.
Note from asker:
Thank-you Michael, food for thought!
Something went wrong...
+1
2 hrs

identitarian self-assurances

The Identitarian movement is a pan-European socio-political movement started in France in 2002 as a far right youth movement deriving from the French Nouvelle Droite Génération Identitaire. Initially the youth wing of the anti-immigrant, far-right Bloc Identitaire, it has taken on its own identity and is largely classed as a separate entity altogether with the intent of spreading across Europe, a goal that has largely failed to manifest beyond France.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2015-02-13 13:23:55 GMT)
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See their respective articles on Wikipedia: identitarian movement, Identitäre Bewegung, identitära rörelsen (Swedish).

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Note added at 3 hrs (2015-02-13 13:44:38 GMT)
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Ethnopluralism emphasizes the duty for every people of the Earth to fight for the preservation of their uniqueness, which requires that they keep their customs and traditions alive and make them flourish. It understands that cultures are clearly defined entities that should not be steamrolled over by abstract principles. We don’t want a universalistic monoculture, we want ethnopluralism. While we wish for all cultures and identities to be preserved, our main concern should always be our own identity.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2015-02-13 13:45:35 GMT)
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We Are Identitarians — RADIX JOURNAL
www.radixjournal.com/.../we-are-identita...
Mobile-friendly - Feb 5, 2014 - The primary purpose of Identitarianism must be the preservation of our identity-- the cultural and ...
Peer comment(s):
agree Anne Schulz : At the very least, the translation of "identitäre Selbstvergewisserung" must leave open the possibility that this term hints to the Identitarian movement (red-lining, ostracizing), rather than philosophical self-affirmation and person concepts!
16 hrs
Thanks, Anne!
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6 hrs

self-affirmation of identity

Seems to me this is about who defines one's public persona: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-affirmation

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Note added at 6 hrs (2015-02-13 16:56:51 GMT)
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Or self-affirmation of one's [public] persona

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Note added at 6 hrs (2015-02-13 17:22:27 GMT)
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Hi Ramey, hopefully when you translate 'jenseits' it will be clear that that is intended. My reading (very brief indeed) of the text suggests it means going beyond standard ways of asserting one's public or external identity, such as constructing a partial view of it on Facebook, over which we have supposed total control. Apologies, if in my rush (busy here!), I haven't quite grasped it from the excerpt you give.

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Note added at 6 hrs (2015-02-13 17:24:01 GMT)
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You could also perhaps shrink the term to simply say the assertion of one's own identity, or you might feel you have to unpack it a bit.
Note from asker:
Hi Helen! Yes, I'm familiar with this term and attaining self-affirmation is a positive process. The performance, however, aims at going beyond a superficial concept of identity - which true self-affirmation is not, as it is based on being attentive to your true or inner needs. I'm really struggling with it and am very relieved to have your input!
Yes, beyond these things is where the space for negotiation, communication and thinking emerges. I will consider assertion of identity, haven't tried that one yet. thanks and keep the stress levels low.
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