Edited collection “The Politics of Othering”
The concept of “Othering/ Otherisation” refers to the classification of individuals or groups as outsiders. This cognitive classification divides any sociocultural and political formation into potential two generally monolithic and mutually exclusive blocks: the in-group community versus the out-group community. The inclusion or exclusion of each block is contingent on different criteria like religion, ethnicity, culture, race, politics, class, etc. When these differences are used descriptively, they become somewhat acceptable and harmless. However, when they are normative, they are often couched in the discourses of superiority or inferiority, goodness or badness, civilized-ness or uncivilized-ness, etc.