Othering, Identity, and Recognition: The Social Exclusion of the Constructed ‘Other’

Abstract

The ‘Other’ means different things to people in different situations and settings, and the way of defining the other changes from one person’s experience to the other. ‘Othering’ is not about one situation; it is about a pattern of behavior that brings down different minority groups or communities. This research studies the phenomena of constructing an identity for the ‘Other’. This identity is studied through a theoretical and phenomenological methods. The phenomena of ‘Othering’ creates the notion of becoming socially excluded. ‘Othering’ creates social barriers between a person or a group of people and the society. Exclusion happens through different methods such as; race, ethnicity, age, sexuality, religion, color, appearance, and so on. The research is conducted through interviewing eight international masters’ programs students in Turku, Finalnd. The analysis of the interviews is done through a framework of theories; the social act theory, social action, social performances to describe the motives and process of social actions. In addition, theories of identity and recognition to situate the understanding and knowledge of others. The data presented have a holistic view of looking to all these ideas together, through different stages and different unique experiences.