There are regular rounds of talks at my institution about identity politics - who are we? how do we interact with the "other"? how do we make a world that is rightly inclusive?
These are matters of great importance, and we should attend to them carefully. But it's my observation that the very practice of engaging in the talks can sometimes have the opposite effect of that which is intended. We can (and sometimes do) end up more encased in our little silos than we were before. Naming and politicizing our identities may be necessary sometimes, but it's not an uncomplicated affair. I think we need to explore such discussions in different modes, if we are ever to find effective ways of creating a world of genuine peace, not one that simply exchanges one set of power politics for another.
This is an incomplete thought, one I continue to ponder. Meantime there is a very good thought provoking post on identity and peacemeaking here. (And thanks to philosopher of religion Katharine Moody - I found the link via her site.)
And there is a great interview with Terry Tempest Williams where she talks about communities being "voiced" - there is something vital here, I think, if it includes the listening she talks about.