Learning About Others

There is a necessary linkage between understanding the “self” by understanding the “other.” This chapter offers concrete experiences of “being the Other,” “being Othered,” “Othering,” and in general, getting to know and work with other people in processes of social transformation. Conceptually, the authors draw from social constructivism (Gergen) and theories of power (Deutsch) as a way to elucidate the array of how “self” and “other” is constructed collectively through social relationships mediated by power. This chapter discusses the process whereby social conflicts have roots in power relationships that hierarchize identities, rendering some as dominated and others as dominant, and how this produces personal and social struggles that have powerful transformative effects. This chapter offers the story of Son Batá, a group of Afro-Colombian artists and community leaders, that in their exploration of their personal and social identity have deeply transformed their community.