Lilia Melani
The Other is an individual who is perceived by the group as not belonging, as being different in
some fundamental way. Any stranger becomes the Other. The group sees itself as the norm and
judges those who do not meet that norm (that is, who are different in any way) as the Other.
Perceived as lacking essential characteristics possessed by the group, the Other is almost always
seen as a lesser or inferior being and is treated accordingly. The Other in a society may have few
or no legal rights, may be characterized as less intelligent or as immoral, and may even be
regarded as sub-human.
Otherness takes many forms. The Other may be someone who is of...
• a different race (White vs. non-White),
• a different nationality (Anglo Saxon vs. Italian),
• a different religion (Protestant vs. Catholic or Christian vs. Jew),
• a different social class (aristocrat vs. serf),
• a different political ideology (capitalism vs. communism),
• a different sexual orientation (heterosexual vs. homosexual),
• a different origin (native born vs. immigrant).
The Other is not necessarily a numerical minority. In a country defeated by an imperial power,
the far more numerous natives become the Other, for example, the British rule in India where
Indians outnumbered the British 4,000 to 1. Similarly, women are defined and judged by men,
the dominant group, in relationship to themselves, so that they become the Other. Hence
Aristotle says: "The female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities; we should regard
the female nature as afflicted with a natural defectiveness."
The group which is defining the Other may be an entire society, a social class or a community
within a society, a family, or even a high school clique or a neighborhood gang.
The Other and the Outsider
The outsider frequently overlaps with the Other, but they are not identical. The outsider has the
possibility of being accepted by and incorporated into the group; offspring are very likely to be
accepted into the group. The Other, however, is perceived as different in kind, as lacking in some
essential trait or traits that the group has; offspring will inherit the same deficient nature and be
the Other also. Therefore the Other and the offspring of the Other may be doomed forever to
remain separate, never to become part of the group--in other words, to be the Other forever.
