THE RACIALIZED OTHER

PEOPLE ARE THE SUBJECTS AND OBJECTS OF “RACIALIZED FORMATIONS” -- MEANING PEOPLE DO NOT SEE “RACE” RATHER THEY OBSERVE CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF REAL AND SOMETIMES IMAGINED SOMATIC [OF THE BODY] AND CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS TO WHICH THAT THEY ATTRIBUTE MEANING. A DIFFERENCE IN SKIN COLOUR IS NOT ESSENTIAL TO THE PROCESS OF “MARKING” HERE, IT ACTUALLY GOES BEYOND THE BIOLOGICAL. RACE IS A SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION PROCESS OF ATTRIBUTING SUPERIOR-INFERIOR STATUS INVOLVING THE COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS OF EXPLOITATION, CONTROL, AND EXCLUSION GROUNDING THE DIFFERENCES OF RACE, AND GIVING RISE TO (THE IDEOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTION OF) “THE RACIALIZED OTHER.”

SOCIOLOGISTS WHO SUBSCRIBE TO “THE DISCRIMINATION THESIS” HAVE ALSO FOCUSED ON RACISM AS A FORM OF “OTHERING” THAT DEFINES AND SECURES ONE’S OWN POSITIVE IDENTITY THROUGH THE STIGMATIZATION OF AN “OTHER.” DISTINCTIONS OF RACE ARE MADE FOR “OTHERING” PEOPLE - MAKING PEOPLE INTO THE “NOT-US.” WHEN THEY ARE NOT-US THEY LACK SOMETHING; WHEN THEY LACK SOMETHING THEN THEY ARE "LESS THAN US". TO BE OTHERED IS TO BE DEFINED AS THE THING THAT DEVIATES FROM THE NORM. IN SHORT, OTHERING IS A WAY OF PROTECTING STATUS FROM ACQUISITION BY OTHERS, AND JUSTIFYING ITS BEING DEPRIVE FROM OTHERS. OTHERING OFTEN INVOLVES MENTAL IMAGES IN WHICH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SOME DISTINCTIVE PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES (SUCH AS SKIN COLOUR) AND WHO MAY ALSO HAVE ASSOCIATED ETHNIC CHARACTERISTICS (ACCENT, MANNERISMS, OR STYLE OF DRESS) ARE VIEWED AS DIFFERENT, LESS DESERVING, SUITABLE ONLY FOR LOW-WAGE JOBS AND AS OUTSIDERS WITH RESPECT TO THE NORMAL BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP IN A GIVEN SOCIETY.

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PROCESS

{A PHENOMENON SUCH AS “RACIAL PROFILING” CAN BE DECONSTRUCTED AS FOLLOWS}

MARGINALIZATION: REFERS TO THE STATUS OF A GROUP WHO DOES NOT HAVE FULL AND EQUAL ACCESS TO THE SOCIAL ECONOMIC, CULTURAL, AND POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF SOCIETY. =======è

RACIALIZATION - REFERS TO THE ASSIGNING OF RACIAL CONNOTATIONS TO THE ACTIVITIES OF MINORITY PEOPLE ======è

STIGMATIZATION: REFERS TO A MARK OF DISGRACE IMPOSED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BY OTHER INDIVIDUALS OR A SOCIAL GROUP. IN POPULAR USAGE IT OFTEN REFERS TO ANY NEGATIVE SANCTION OR DISAPPROVAL FOR NONCONFORMITY. AN UNDESIRABLE DIFFERENTNESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL THAT DISQUALIFIES HIM OR HER FROM FULL SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE. SOCIOLOGISTS ORIGINALLY USED THE TERM TO SHOW HOW HUMANS NOT ONLY SEEK TO CONTROL THE PHYSICAL WORLD BUT THE SOCIAL WORLD.