Is our identity a given? Or do our actions determine our identity? In his talk Arjuna dissects the notion of identity, especially with relation to ethnicity, and states that it is a concept which is fluid by nature. Arjuna questions the notion that identity is something that people are by just being and, instead, argues that we need to earn the right to identify in a given way. He takes the the notion of identity in relation to Sri Lanka where ethnic identity has a strong presence. Arjuna provides powerful real life examples of people whose very existence corroborates the fact that identity is a concept of becoming not being ! Arjuna Parakrama has had over the last thirty years a distinguished academic career, including senior visiting fellowships at the University of Pittsburgh and the National University of Malaysia. He has received research grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and the US Institute of Peace for studying subaltern resistance to conflict, and has worked with the UN, international foundations and INGOs. He is currently Senior Professor of English and Cadre Chair, as well as Director, Centre for the Study of Human Rights, at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. He was Dean, Faculty of Arts, University of Colombo. He is author of De-Hegemonizing Language Standards: Learning from (Post) Colonial Englishes about “English”. He has been a member of the Keywords Project since its inception. His other scholarly work include, Discursive Unities and the Possibility of Protest. He is also a community activist trainer who is still learning to learn from subaltern groups about identity and plurality. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx