Definition of "othering"
othering
noun
usually uncountable, plural otherings
(philosophy, politics) gerund of other: the process of perceiving or portraying someone or something as essentially alien or different.
Quotations
[T]he For-self-ness of the one must therefore make the other something other than it is immediately set in the judgment: this self-preservation through subjection of the other under itself is therefore immediately an othering of this other; but the nature of Judgment must at the same time equally assert itself in this alteration and sublate at the same time this otherness.
1865, James Hutchison Stirling, quoting Rudolf Haym (translated), “The Commentators of Hegel: Schwegler, Rosencranz, Haym”, in The Secret of Hegel: Being the Hegelian System in Origin, Principle, Form, and Matter. [...] In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, page 465
[T]he Ego discerns itself, distinguishes itself, others itself; this Otherness is, as contrasted with the first phase, its being Out-of-Itself, and, since the Othering is a making itself an object to itself, it is also its being For-Itself; [...]
1870, Francis A. Henry, “The Finite and the Infinite. [Part II.]”, in William T[orrey] Harris, editor, The Journal of Speculative Philosophy, volume IV, number 4, St. Louis, Mo.: R. P. Studley & Co., printers, […], page 297
"Othering" may be defined as that process which serves to mark and name those thought to be different from oneself. An example of this is recent scholarship on whiteness. As Ruth Frankenberg asserts, to focus on whiteness is to displace the white from the unmarked, unnamed status that is itself an effect of its dominance. [...] The process of "othering" as an integral part of the identity formation of dominant whites is absolutely clear here.
1995, Lois Weis, “Identity Formation and the Process of ‘Othering’: Unraveling Sexual Threads”, in Educational Foundations: A Journal Focusing on Interdisciplinary Aspects of the Educational Foundations, volume 9, number 1, Ann Arbor, Mich.: Prakken Publications; San Francisco, Calif.: Caddo Gap Press, page 18
The ambivalence of colonial discourse lies in the fact that both these processes of ‘othering’ occur at the same time, the colonial subject being both a ‘child’ of empire and a primitive and degraded subject of imperial discourse.
1998, Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, Helen Tiffin, “OTHER”, in Key Concepts in Post-colonial Studies, London, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, published 2002, page 171
Australians are conscious of multiple Otherings, both oppressive and affectionate. As white Australians locate Aboriginal people metaphorically "out there," so the rest of the world locates us all "down under."
2000, Lesley Head, “Hunter-gatherers, Land, and the Past”, in Second Nature: The History and Implications of Australia as Aboriginal Landscape (Space, Place, and Society), Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, page 15
The civilizing mission, which is central to both international law and human rights, requires the definition of the native in particular language in which he is stripped of full humanity to justify the “othering” process, or the re-creation of the non-European in the image of the European.
2002, Makau [W.] Mutua, “Terrorism and Human Rights: Power, Culture, and Subordination”, in Mary B. Bowman, Mark P. Popiel, editors, Buffalo Human Rights Law Review, volume 8, Buffalo, N.Y.: State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law, archived from the original on 6 March 2019, page 7
These new set of decisions may or may not be put into operation, but the process of constructing suspicion and othering of the Jummas is already in place. Jummas cannot be called "adibashis" [natives], Jummas cannot be recognised in the constitution, Jummas have to be called "khudro nri-goshthi" [insignificant people], Jummas cannot talk to anyone without a chaperone, government officials will prevent celebration of indigenous peoples' day – the list goes on.
2017 May 2, “Can the Jummas of Bangladesh Speak?”, in Jumjournal, archived from the original on 12 July 2019
Democratic codes are the underlying discursive structure of democratic readings and evaluations of the world. A common distinction of codes is between the ethnos and the demos understanding of the democratic populace, that is, a prepolitical, possibly ethnic, and a political understanding of what constitutes "the people." It is often taken as given that the ethnos-version spells violence, racism, and differentiation, whereas the demos-version spells the possibiliy of peace and inclusion. I want to question that to explore how they both serve as resources for democratic otherings.
2018, Mikkel Thorup, “Democratic Hatreds: The Making of ‘the Hating Enemy’ in Liberal Democracy”, in Thomas Brudholm, Birgitte Schepelern Johansen, editors, Hate, Politics, Law: Critical Perspectives on Combating Hate, New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, pages 221–222
“I want to say this gently,” a comment from a user identified only as Sarah began, “because I can tell your intent is to share your personal evolution and celebrate facing your fear of the unknown, and that’s great. I just need to point out that there’s a lot of ‘othering’ happening in this post.”
2019 February 17, Kathrine Jebsen Moore, “A Witch-hunt on Instagram”, in Claire Lehmann, editor, Quillette, Sydney, N.S.W., archived from the original on 2 March 2019