Paper Series: On Belonging in Europe
This series constitutes our first exploration of different elements of belonging in Europe. Without pretending to be exhaustive, these essays bring together diverse voices that illuminate what othering and belonging mean—and how they manifest—within the European context. In both exploring dimensions of othering and practices of belonging in the region, these papers seek to expose the areas that most urgently demand our attention—where othering & marginalization are growing—as well as offer valuable insights from those already working towards belonging in Europe, with concrete learnings for those in North America and beyond.
The ‘polarisation’ distraction
It’s time to look beyond a limited concept, that obscures at least as much as it reveals.
To go beyond polarisation as a concept, we need to transcend its limits - by using a more contemporary and nuanced psychology to connect the varied social trends of recent decades - including technological and media change - with the range of major social challenges that have come to the fore in that time.
With a broader lens like this, we might start to see the real root causes in our common social ills, how they are connected–and what would be necessary to truly address them. Polarisation cannot offer us that–but we have the tools to begin creating something better that can.