27 Feb 2023
The word identity has a broad range of definitions. In fact, up until this assignment, I often think of physical appearance, culture, and ethnicity when hearing the word. In Elizabeth Wardle’s Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplace, Wenger describes it as “a negotiated experience …a layering of events of participation and reification by which our experience and its social interpretation inform each other.” He continues to elaborate that our unique identity is formed from different experiences that continue to build upon each other. I have to say that I completely agree with him because every time we discover something new about ourselves it’s like finding our identity. And each time we step foot into a community as a “newcomer” with the hope of becoming a member of that community, it is imperative that we follow the protocol of that community and not perform as a singular individual.
The Relationship Between Identity and Authority in a Workplace/Community
In Alan’s case, he never appeared as someone with a clear identity in the community and chose to operate in ways other than what the community required. Since his writing was not compatible with the others in the community, and because he failed to adopt and follow the way of the community, he was never considered a member of the community. Not only by him but also by the other members. “The community of practice did not appear to view a fledging member but rather as an object-a tool enabling them to get work.” (Elizabeth Wardle). Identity is so important and valuable in the discourse community that it’s not too far fetch for the community to view a person who is not writing with identity as an outsider. In the article, Identity, Authority, and Learning to Write in New Workplaces by Elizabeth Wardle, Wenger states “If newcomers fail to write in ways that a workplace community of practice recognizes as effective and appropriate, the reasons may be related to identity rather than ability.” Based on Alan’s previous experiences he may have possessed the capability to write ways the community wanted him to. However, because of his ego, he’s focus was mainly directed on obtaining authority. Not realizing that authority was already given to him. He simply had to claim it by adhering to the community policy. A task that he was either clueless about how to achieve, or purposely disregarded. Either way, even with all of his previous experiences, which by the way may have been a contributing factor to his failures, he ended up not fitting in the community.
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