Recycling and rethinking encoded meaning. The process of disidentification involves scrambling and reconstructing the encoded message of a cultural text. This process exposes the universalizing and exclusionary aspects of the encoded message and repurposes it to include and empower minority identities. Disidentification goes beyond simply decoding the majority’s message; it uses this code as raw material to represent a disempowered politics or position that has been marginalized by the dominant culture.
For example, disidentification can be seen in the way a magazine is used. Instead of adhering to the original intention of the majority, it is used in a way that represents the minority.
The concept of disidentification is about revealing the exclusionary aspects of an encoded message and rewriting it. It involves using the code of the majority to express the positionality of the minority. This process can be seen in various forms, such as in the arts.
In the context of the United States, disidentification is a coping mechanism for minority groups. It involves transforming majoritarian cultural texts to better represent minoritarian subjects. Disidentification is about rethinking encoded values and challenging dominant cultural discourse.
To summarize, disidentification is a strategy of resistance and survival for minority subjects. It offers an alternative way of relating to identity beyond assimilation or counter-identification. Disidentification involves recognizing mainstream ideology and transforming it, reshaping stereotypes and challenging dominant discourse.