AustLit

'Identity is often imagined collectively, as a function of which groups one belongs tom, or perhaps more importantly, as a function of which groups one does not belong to. This dialectic between the in-group - 'us' - and the out-group - 'them' - is not a simple binary opposition but a complex network of many variables based on supposed differences : nationality, religion, race, economic class, gender and sexual orientation, to name just a few. Within a social milieu, identity depends on the creation of difference, of an 'Other'; more disturbing is the frequent creation of a corresponding scale of value that rates the 'Other' as somehow inferior, which can have some real-world consequences on those who are 'Othered': discrimination, marginalization, exclusion...'(Introduction)

'The contributors to this volume have repeatedly commented on the results of the study. To heal from traumatizing experiences. They denounce the process of "Othering" and stereotyping and put the spotlight on the various attempts at subverting damaging negative stereotypes. They reveal the "dark side" of the colonial governance of post-colonial reconstruction and rewritings of other colonial gestures, such as discovery and conquest. To a certain extent, following Romaine Moreton's advice, they attempt to "reframe those negative experiences".'

Source: Publisher's blurb.