Book of D: The Phenomenology of Otherness and Tribalism

Look up the meaning of each of these words: "otherness" and "tribalism," and you will find the definitions oddly vexing - at least I found them somewhat bothersome. Each word sounds so nice until you dig further into the real meaning. Both words imply a sort of togetherness which mostly paves the way for divisiveness amongst people when separated at their true core.

I did some research for a colleague who helps coordinate events and data for our new Center for Student Belonging and Inclusion, which is why and when I came across the words "otherness" and "tribalism." While conducting the research, I found this PDF (International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, 2008, Elsevier), which penned a myriad of definitions that give way to human "assholeness!" YEUP, I made up that word (assholeness); I can, so I did (make it up). Anyway, this is what it stated: "What is the concept of otherness? . . . Otherness is the result of a discursive process by which a dominant in-group (“Us,” the Self) constructs one or many dominated out-groups (“Them,” Other) by stigmatizing a difference – real or imagined – presented as a negation of identity and thus a motive for potential discrimination" (Staszak, 2008). According to web-based European Center for Populism Studies (ECPS), "Tribalism is a loyalty or preference to one’s own people.

As well as culture, it can apply to politics and sport. Cultural tribalism refers to the subdivision of society in groups who come together by a shared or specific type of thinking or behavior. In popular culture, cultural tribalism may also refer to a way of thinking or behaving in which people are loyal to their social group above all else, or, derogatorily, a type of discrimination or animosity based upon group differences" (2023). Moreover, Sullivan (2017) wrote an article that appeared in the Influencer titled "Can our democracy survive tribalism?" Sullivan stated, "America wasn’t built for humans: tribalism was an urge our Founding Fathers assumed we could overcome. And so it has become our greatest vulnerability" (2017). This is all the psychology 101 basics of the "ingroup versus the outgroup." The them versus us mentality. For example, you get family members together, and yes, it is all nice and heartwarming at first, but if you dig further, the "ingroup/outgroup" theory takes hold, and it's not pretty. Family will stand together and have each others six, per se, but once you delve further into each person's beliefs and such, the hidden problem gives way to ugliness. Auntie Amy might be a republican while uncle Dan is a democrat; you bring them together for a reunion, and everything is fine and the warm fuzzies abound because "it's a family gathering and nothing is more happy than family getting together, right?" Record scratch . . . WRONG! Family is nice and family gatherings can be a joy, but only if you keep your real beliefs and opinions to yourself because that is when otherness and tribalism take hold. You can be my cousin but if you're not voting for MAGA or cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, you're out; you've been ousted and kicked off the proverbial island. You have stopped fitting in, and there is no mercy for you unless you concede your core values in place of theirs.