Configurations of otherness and globalization of the Othering Machine

The aim of this introductory article is to shed light on the complexities and ambiguities of the definitions, uses, and categorizations of what is termed ‘racism’ or alternatively, in a more flexible and protean manner, ‘othering’. However, while racism and otherness have been forged within the history of modernity, coloniality and capitalism, the current concreteness and linguistic use of these notions is a matter of discussion also within post-colonial societies and emerging geo-powers. Communities of people who have struggled against western discriminations in the past are today faced with similar problems within their societies due to the intertwining among local and distinctive forms of inequality, segregation, and othering.