After decades of brutal race and gender politics from the Left, conservatives began treating identity itself as toxic. That reaction is understandable after fighting a sinister ideology for years, but ignoring identity is not an option. Human beings need a firm sense of who they are and where they belong. Progressives exploited that impulse in twisted, artificial ways, but the impulse remains natural and healthy. As the United States confronts mass immigration, the question “What is an American?” has become unavoidable on the Right once again. It is a question about identity. For the first time in decades, conservatives must navigate one of the most important parts of human life.

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