Discourses of Othering

Abstract

Othering-using stereotypes and representations about the other when meeting her/him and talking about her/him-is a common phenomenon in intercultural encounters in education. This chapter questions the very defi nition of the other and shows how unstable the phenomenon of othering is. Tools from linguistics are introduced to help us to analyse discourses of othering and to move beyond, for example, ethno-centrism, (hidden) racism, and (hidden) xenophobia. This chapter will be of interest to both educators and researchers who need tools to examine the politics of identity and interculturality. The lessons one learns at school are not always the ones the school thinks it's teaching. (Rushdie 2012 : 31) Some years ago, a black 'local' student at a major European university was surprised to discover that his picture had been used to promote the 'internationalization' of his university on the institution's website. He reacted by saying: This is also very striking: If you are advertising for your research, you show people in white coats. If you are advertising your library, you show people with books. And if you are advertising your internationality, for some strange reason, you show me.