3. Who is the “Other”?

In this video, we will explore the concept of the “other” through a dramatization of two mothers in a schoolyard discussing their children and making false assumptions. The aim of this section is to initiate self-reflection about personal assumptions and biases.

The narrator suggests a possible description of the “other”: “not belonging – being different in some fundamental way. The “Other” is a stranger to us.”

When you meet someone who is in some way different from you, you have the opportunity to get to know them, and to learn something. You have the opportunity to find common ground with them. As a healthcare professional this is part of your job: to find common ground with your patients and with your colleagues. (This can be a challenge when you yourself also feel like the “other” in a new workplace or country—see Course 16, Workplace Culture and Integration, for more about that.)

Before you start the self-reflection exercise, you may wish to take a look at this link (optional). This website was written by Professor Lilia Melani, who teaches in the Department of English at City University New York.  Professor Melani writes eloquently about “otherness” in her literature course description.