An Example of ‘Othering’ In Contemporary Culture to Explain How This Process Is Involved In the Creation or Maintenance of Cultural Identity

Abstract

This study examines the definition of other, the process of othering, and how othering is represented in Amy Tan’s novel, The Hundred Secret Senses by analyzing two chapters of the novel, Young Girl’s Wish and Hello Good-bye. In the two chapters, Chinese negative cultural identities and positive American cultural identities are constructed through presenting the local environment, and different behavioral patterns of Chinese and American. The main contribution of the study is expanding the scope of “othering†by providing the concept of “self-othering†and illustrating how “self-othering†is embodied in Contemporary Culture.