Survival is the central role of any type of community, and in general they play positive, beneficial roles.
The obvious necessity of these communities, however, does not take into account the dangers that accompany any social grouping. There is a thin line between assuring survival and safety and posing a threat to group members and other groups. For example, the Europeans" allegiance to their Western identity overstepped its boundaries when it was used as justification for the gross mistreatment of native peoples during colonization (Winant 43). In this case, the economic benefits of group membership were taken to an extent that harmed others, and immediately the group identity became a threat. Another example can be found in the Gulag camps in Russia. Although Stalin claimed he was protecting the state from traitors, the only way innocent Russian citizens could be protected from the hand of the government was to join in the unjust enslavement of their fellow citizens, and even then a Russian was not guaranteed exemption from the threat of labor camps. In these cases and so many others, the desire for security can lead to abuse of power, resulting in conflict between/within communities (Gheith).
The second role of different forms of identity is the unique human need for belonging and a sense of cultural history. These particular functions of community are most often met by gender, family, ethnicity, and religion. In Leila Ahmed's article about her internal struggles with identity upon being labeled an "Arab" instead of an "Egyptian," the most difficult aspects of the transition were confusion over loyalty and belonging. After the forced ethnic transition, she reminisced about how good it felt "in the world in which [she] had once lived," when people automatically greeted and accepted one another. She also expressed her desire for a deeper Arabic cultural heritage, a greater exposure to the "wealth of Arabic literature" that would nurture her as a writer (Ahmed 253).
