ATSS: Kärt Lazić, “‘Othering’: the Inevitability of Drawing Lines, and Where it All Goes Wrong”
28 February 2024 |
The socio-political movements of the last years have shifted the spotlight of our private and public discussions to different well-established ‘others’ both inside and outside our faith communities. We have been challenged to poke our thought patterns and test our societal practices; invited to practice greater inclusivity whilst maintaining diversity; pushed to identify and undo some of the unfair policies and procedures resulting from long traditions of patterns of marginalisation.
The work is far from done. We are raising the next generations with the hope for a significant cultural shift… All of this is wonderful and oh-so-overdue.
In these absolutely essential discussions of the particular abuses, however, there has not been much space for looking at the general processes of human psychology and social functioning that set the foundation to othering and other-based discrimination. Awareness of how and why an ‘other’ is born can help us respond to the existing abuses more effectively and – just as importantly – be intentional about preventing new ‘others’ from being created along the way. Just consider all the forms of in-group/out-group dynamics you can observe around you on a daily basis. In this session, we shall take a detailed, step-by-step look at the moves that are required to ‘make an other’; and discuss the implications of these discoveries on our individual and collective narratives.
Keywords: othering, the other, identity, community, boundaries, meaning-making, analytical introspection, positive program.
Teacher:
Kärt Lazić is a reader by education and a communicator by passion. She gets genuinely excited about exploring challenging questions from different angles and figuring out ways to express the discoveries in a meaningful way – in classroom, church pews, and “real life.” Her journey has taken her from Estonia to Newbold, where she has had the joy of teaching different subjects related to meaning—and sense-making. At church, she loves being a part of the team creating the spaces that facilitate the encounter between the human and the divine. The recent years have made her slow down to face her toughest audience yet – two toddlers that seem to have inherited her stubbornness and energy.
Moderator:
How to join:
One-click link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83119590379
Passcode: APOSTLE
ATSS starting time depends on where you are. If you’re on the west coast of the United States, it’ll be 10:30 AM. On the east coast, 1:30 PM. Times in Europe, Africa and elsewhere will vary with local time changes. Please double-check the correct time where you live.
The class is intended to last about 2 hours, though the conversation often continues to 4 PM (Eastern time).
About our class:
- The AT Sabbath Seminar is intended to be a courteous forum. We discuss and ask questions politely. We don’t accuse, get angry, put people down, or judge the state of their salvation.
- Stick to the topic in both comments and chat discussion.
- Make your comments and questions short—don’t dominate.
- Keep your microphones muted unless you are called upon to make your comment or ask your question.
- Indicate your interest in speaking by raising your electronic hand—under the “reactions” button.
- Please use your name when you sign in! Not your phone number, not your initials. This will help us differentiate you from unwelcome guests who want to disrupt us. You can set your name after signing on by clicking on the 3 dots next to your picture, which drops down a menu.
We look forward to getting acquainted with you!
YouTube channel:
You can see all of our previous ATSS recordings here.
Coming up:
- Stephen Chavez
- Denis Fortin
- Andreas Bochmann
- Tom deBruin
- Reinder Bruinsma