This study contributes to the debates about identity that dominate much of today's critical discourse. It argues against a psychological depth model of identity - that is, one in which individuals possess an intrinsic quality that guarantees authentic belonging. In its place, the author proposes a model of identity that takes into account the desires of individuals, and groups of individuals, to belong. The main ideas considered are: "the outside", "the surface", and "belonging". These are used to articulate, in concrete terms, precise concerns about sexuality and nationality. Drawing upon a wide range of examples - fiction, film, television, even government statements - this work prompts us to reconsider some of the key critical issues of our time: the self, the materiality of bodies and desire, and the experimental as the basis of a theoretical strategy.