Identity Entanglement: Rethinking Marginality through the Intersectional, Liminal, and Antithetical
Published online on June 18, 2026
Abstract
["Symbolic Interaction, EarlyView. ", "\nWhile identity research has given sustained attention to marginality, intersectionality, and the effects of power on identity, the formal interactional dynamics through which identities are constituted remain limited. I present identity entanglement as a useful framework for better understanding and articulating the relational complexities of identity. Using social pattern analysis, I examine intersectional, liminal, and antithetical identities through prior research, the media, and historical accounts, and model these marginal identities through the entanglement modes that characterize their interactions. In doing so, I develop a typology that provides new analytic tools for understanding the formal and nuanced dynamics of identity and marginality.\n"]