9 Belonging
A key figure in attempts to counter the processes of othering is John A. Powell, the Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Powell argues that othering is a result of anxiety. If people feel that their group, their status or the social order they are familiar with is threatened, they can react by projecting these fears onto others and blaming them for problems their society is facing. In the article Us vs them: the sinister techniques of ‘Othering’ – and how to avoid them [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] for The Guardian, Powell (2017) explains how othering is harmful for societies and what everyone can do to counter this tendency. Powell’s suggested alternative of belonging addresses structural and interpersonal actions that are the result of othering and offers an alternative approach which strives for inclusiveness and mutual respect. John Powell is based in the United States, so naturally the power structures and political events of this country are central to his work and to the piece he contributed in the British press.
Activity 11
The aforementioned article explores reasons for othering and shares examples of consequences of systematic othering. Read his article “Us vs Them” here and think about the following question.
What examples of othering and belonging does Powell give in this text? Write down one example for belonging, and one for othering.
Discussion
Examples of othering:
President Trump downgrading Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers in order to legitimise efforts that reduce immigration into the United States via its southern border.
The systematic expulsion of the Rohingya in Myanmar. The Rohingya are descendants of Arab traders who lived concentrated in a single state of the Buddhist country Myanmar, practicing Islam and having their own language and culture.
Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in the US. A group of people, who were mostly of white ethnicity and male, protested against the removal of Confederate monuments which represent the Confederate States of America along with these states’ historic demand to keep slaves.
President Nixon’s law and order campaign which lead to mass imprisonment of the Black population in the US.
Discussion
Examples of Belonging:
Multiculturalism in Canada and the notion that Canada is not white and Christian, but that any ethnicity and religion can be authentically Canadian
In his commentary given to the The Guardian, Powell mentions the act of ‘bridging’.
Watch the short clip Bridging: Towards A Society Built on Belonging and think about the following question:
What attempts of bridging have you encountered in the society that you live in, or at your workplace? What groups are involved and what strategies were applied?
Minorities subject to othering are not always communities connected by race, ethnicity or religion – this also applies to other aspects of culture, like disability or mental health.
Watch the following TED Talk on the divide between hearing and deaf worlds and answer the following questions.
a.Think about whether the parents, the school and the former partner of the described deaf girl made attempts at bridging. Why do you think this did not work?
Discussion
You might argue that the people in the life of the deaf girl in the story are pursuing the approach of belonging because they are trying to include her in their community. They offer help by ignoring her ‘condition’, and by protecting her. This however does not make her feel like she is part of the hearing community, but instead leaves her feeling like she does not fully belong anywhere. The girl does not want to have to rely on others to get by; she wants to be independent.
b.Consider the speaker’s suggestions for people who have a family member or friend who is deaf. How can they support their deaf loved ones? Are these recommendations examples for ‘bridging’ as Powell imagines it?
Discussion
Instead of forcing the girl to be part of the hearing community, the speaker suggests that she should instead be encouraged and enabled to be part of her ‘own tribe’, the deaf community. For the speaker, those who hear should build bridges with the deaf community by learning their language or by attending deaf events.
The experiences this speaker describes are closely linked to concepts of integration, assimilation and marginalisation.