Identity matters, but it matters in different ways at different times. Identity is a buzz word that we often hear about in all sorts of contexts, ranging from the concern with the self expressed through therapy, to identity crises that operate on the global arena, especially post 9/11. This book charts some of the most important identity stories that make up people's lives and inform debates within the social sciences. It is organised around the big questions: How can we feel we belong in a constantly transforming, uncertain world? Can we exercise control in shaping our identities? Does an emphasis on the fluidity of identity produce another set of uncertainties? What is the link between the personal and the social in the formation of identities? Each chapter explores personal and collective identities drawing on varied examples highlighting the importance of gender, race, and ethnicity, embodiment and place in the production of meanings about who we are. Understanding Identity is about debates located within a history of understanding the self and of belonging, developing an argument about thinking through the tension between theories based on fixity and fluidity, drawing on an extensive range of identity stories, from different empirical sources as well as the long history of theorising identity.