Phoenician "identity": Methodological approach, historical perspective

The term "identity" has recently obtained good fortune in various humanities and social sciences, to the extent that today more than ever its meaning and use are the subject of a very lively debate, most of all in anthropological field. The present contribution, then, has the aim to reflect on the application of the word "identity" specifically in historical research and, particularly, in relation to Phoenician studies. The question these notes would like to answer is whether and how the term can constitute an operative category--whether, therefore, it is truly functional.