At times we feel incredibly loved and included you see, but Culture will not hesitate to abandon us for a hipper, younger, prettier sneed. When we finally begin to more closely examine how language is used to manipulate reality, we will eventually find that “othering” language gives us all a false sense that we are removed, separate, and somehow different from “them” and “thee”. Understand the language and ideas that affect our shared reality and begin to change a mind, to cooperate and thrive. Is that so hard to see? “Othering is another form of social representation, which is very much related to stereotypes. According to Wilkinson and Kitzinger (2006), theories on Othering have been developed in relation to Women (de Beauvoir 1949/1953) and representations of race and ethnicity (Said 1978; Clifford & Marcus 1986). Othering consists in “objectification of another person or group” or “creating the other”, which puts aside and ignores the complexity and subjectivity of the individual (Abdallah-Pretceille 2003). In intercultural research, culturalism and essentialism, amongst other things, have tended towards Othering by imposing cultural elements as explanations for people’s behaviours, encounters, opinions… (Holliday 2006; Dervin 2008, 2010; Virkama 2010). A good example of this is studies directed by Hofstede on the business world (Cf. Mc Sweeney’s excellent criticism 2002). Resorting to cultures or mere Culturespeak (Hannerz 1999) will lead to Othering. This is shared by Abu-Lughod (1991: 143) when she writes in a famous critique of the notion of culture that it is “the essential tool for making other”. Just like stereotyping, Othering allows individuals to construct sameness and difference and to affirm their own identity (ibid.: 87). Thus Othering is not just about the other but also about the self. For A. Gillespie (2006), Othering leads people towards a widespread tendency to differentiate in-group from out-group and Self from Other in such a way as to reinforce and protect Self.” -Quotation by Fred Dervin, on Cultural identity, Representation, and Othering For the full publication, check out the Dervin Handbook or visit the Fred Dervin Multicultural Education site for the University of Helsinki for more interesting resources. ArtIsInFormation Make Art | Change Minds