What is the concept of Strategic Essentialism primarily focused on?

The concept of Strategic Essentialism is primarily focused on isolating group identity for controlling responses. This concept, proposed by postcolonial theorist Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, suggests that marginalized groups may temporarily adopt a simplified or essentialized version of their identity in order to present a cohesive front. The strategy aims to unite individuals within a group for a specific purpose, such as political mobilization or social activism, even if the identity being portrayed does not capture the full complexity of the group's diversity.

By isolating this group identity, individuals can exert control over how their community is perceived and how they engage with dominant cultures or institutions. This deliberate framing helps to articulate shared experiences and challenges, making it an effective tool for advocacy and representation in social contexts where fragmentation could weaken their efforts.

The other options, while they may seem related to aspects of identity, do not accurately reflect the strategic intent of the concept. Creating a universal identity oversimplifies the nuanced nature of group identities and can erase the variation among members. Forgetting group identities to avoid conflict undermines the importance of identity in shaping experiences and activism. Promoting a single, dominant identity would contradict the very essence of strategic essentialism, which recognizes the existence of multiple identities within a