The Process of Othering
Othering is the process by which a dominant group defines and demarcates a subordinate group as fundamentally different, inferior, or alien — as the “other.” Through othering, the dominant group establishes its own identity by contrast, constructing the “other” as what they are not.
The concept draws on the work of philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and was developed in postcolonial theory, particularly by Edward Said (Orientalism, 1978) and Simone de Beauvoir.
KEY TAKEAWAY: Othering is not simply prejudice at the individual level — it is a social process embedded in discourse, media, policy, and institutions. It produces and reproduces social hierarchies by defining who belongs and who does not.
How Othering Works
Step-by-Step Process
- Categorisation: A group is identified and labelled as distinct from the mainstream (e.g. “migrants,” “refugees,” “ethnic communities”)
- Difference is marked: Cultural, physical, linguistic, or religious differences are highlighted and exaggerated
- Hierarchy is established: The “other” is positioned as inferior, deviant, threatening, or exotic compared to the “normal” dominant group
- Justification of exclusion: Once othered, the group can be excluded, discriminated against, or denied rights on the basis of their “difference”
Key Mechanisms of Othering
| Mechanism |
Example |
| Stereotyping |
Reducing a diverse ethnic group to a single negative trait |
| Racialisation |
Applying racial characteristics to ethnic or cultural groups |
| Moral panic |
Media-driven fear about the behaviour of a minority group |
| Dehumanisation |
Language that strips the “other” of full humanity |
| Spatial exclusion |
Segregating the “other” into separate neighbourhoods, schools |
Othering in Australian Contexts
- Indigenous Australians: Constructed as “primitive,” “dying race,” or “welfare-dependent” — othering used to justify dispossession and assimilation policies
- Migrants and ethnic minorities: Vietnamese Australians, Lebanese Australians, and more recently Sudanese Australians have experienced othering through media moral panics (e.g. “African gang” narratives in Melbourne media coverage, 2018)
- Muslims in Australia: Post-9/11 othering of Muslim Australians as potential terrorists; veiled women represented as oppressed or foreign
- The White Australia Policy (1901–1973): Institutionalised othering through immigration restriction based on racial and ethnic criteria
EXAM TIP: When analysing othering, always identify: (1) who is doing the othering (the dominant group), (2) who is being othered (the subordinate group), (3) what mechanism is being used, and (4) what the social consequence is (exclusion, discrimination, policy, violence).
Theoretical Connections
- Said’s Orientalism: The West constructed the “Orient” (Middle East, Asia) as exotic, backward, and irrational — a reflection of the West’s own self-definition as rational and modern
- Stuart Hall: Media representations “other” ethnic minorities through selective and stereotyped imagery
- Conflict theory: Othering serves the interests of dominant groups by maintaining hierarchies and justifying inequality
APPLICATION: Othering is connected to both the concepts of race and ethnicity (this area) and to ethnocentrism (Unit 3 Area 1). A strong exam response will link these concepts explicitly: ethnocentric representations are a mechanism through which othering occurs.
