The process of self otherisation’ : An act of Ontological Violence

In most of the Anthropological literature, self-otherisation is defined as a process through which marginalized identities, under the structural influence of dominant social norms, self marginalise themselves by acquiescing to the dominant narratives Thus, their self that gets formed further Otherises them from ruling communities.

This process of Self otherisation is often detrimental to the marginalized self, as it furthers the systemic oppression they face, without them being acutely aware  of it being happening.

In Marxist Literature, this has been called false consciousness, which hinders the coming together of the working class.

Existing literature in social sciences focuses heavily on the dynamics of the marginalised self otherising themselves under the influence of ruling social narratives.

eg.

Frantz Fanon in ‘Black Skin, White Masks’ examines how colonised individuals internalise the coloniser’s perspective, leading to self Otherisation through internalised racism and alienation.

Ghassan Hage in ‘Alter- Politics: Critical Anthropology and the Radical Imagination argues how marginalised groups sometimes reinforce their own otherness to navigate dominant cultural norms.

Sherry Ortner in ‘Anthropology and Social Theory: Culture, Power and the Acting Subject argues how people internalise social structures, sometimes perpetuating their own subordination

or, on a different note, Charles Taylor argues in ‘The Ethics of Authenticity’, that modern forms of oppression can lead to marginalised selves further otherising themselves against their oppressors.

What I would like to argue is that in all these existing literature on self Otherisation, it is the oppressed self which is self otherising itself either to navigate and get influenced in the dominant narratives or to resist and attack the dominant narratives.

Here in,  my attempt is to shift the anthropological gaze from the oppressed to the oppressor, and as a testimony to my argument at hand, I would like to focus on the Anthropological dichotomy between the Brahmins and Untouchables.

In shifting, the anthropological gaze, from the oppressed to the oppressor, I would like to re define the process of ‘Self Otherisation’- as “ A process of Self racialising, one’s own social group in order to seek hegemony and dominance over an alien outgroup, to further colonise, define and categorise the out group based on its own definition of its own self, as an other to the other.”

This my attempt is an anthropological scrutiny of the process of Self Otherisation, the Brahmins undertook in history, and which they still do through their religion, to seek dominance and virtual monopoly over the intelligentsia, so that oppression becomes an everyday reality, difficult to be outdone.