Concept
Alterity
Overview
In philosophy and anthropology, alterity is the state of being "other" or different (Latin alter). It describes the experience of encountering something or someone perceived as distinct from oneself or one's own group. The concept of alterity explores how we understand and relate to those who are seen as different, and how this "otherness" shapes identity and social relations. While rooted in academic discourse, the term is also increasingly used more broadly to describe anything outside of established norms or conventions.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Related ideas
- Philosophy
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Jean Baudrillard
- Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
- University of Chicago
- Emergence
- Cornelius Castoriadis
- Entity
- Anthropology
- Self
- Felix Mendelssohn
- Phenomenology (psychology)
- Identity (social science)
- Emmanuel Levinas
- Existence
- Other (philosophy)
Place in the tradition
Part of Theism.