Rupturing Otherness: Becoming Estonian in the Context of Contemporary Britain

Abstract

While identity construction continues to be a widely discussed and researched area in contemporary social sciences, the existing theories have overlooked the importance of understanding why and how identities as semiotic constructions emerge in individuals' consciousness in the flow of their everyday functioning. This article seeks to address this limitation in the theorizing by proposing an alternative conceptualization of identity, according to which identity construction is triggered by rupturing life-experience, which surfaces another perspective and makes the person aware of a possibility to be otherwise or of the reality of being different. Theoretical claims put forward in the paper are drawn from data gathered in a recent study, which explored lived-through experiences of young Estonians, who made study-visits to the United Kingdom. The discussed data will also highlight some interesting aspects in Estonians' self-definition as it is constructed in relation to Eastern-European identity in the context of contemporary Britain.

Negotiating Identity and Alterity: Cultural Competence, Colonization and Cultural Voyeurism in Students’ Work‐Based Learning

“…Identity—whether personal or professional—can be viewed as something fairly fluid, but also something that is constrained or regulated by an array of interpersonal and social influences. Rather than being a fixed property of the individual, identity can be understood more as a “… fluid, multiple, fragmented, dialogical, constantly re‐constructed and negotiated process” (Märtsin, , p. 66).…”

“…Students undertaking work‐based learning in a multicultural and diverse environment where they may be required to develop as culturally competent practitioners through transformative learning—and the reconfiguration of the self that this entails—will frequently find themselves in dialogue with those who are different from themselves: “… individuals negotiate and continuously re‐create their sense of identity based on their lived‐through experiences in diverse and multiple socio‐cultural contexts” (Märtsin, , p. 67). It is, however, when this sense of continuity becomes disturbed, disrupted even, that they are forced to reconsider who they are, and most significantly, to consider the possibility of being “otherwise”: the reality of being different (Murakami & Middleton, ).…”

“…It is here where students need to make sense of themselves and the subject/practice world that they find themselves in. They need to render their experiences meaningful and move beyond to a space where troublesome knowledge is diminished and the feeling of transformation lessened (Cherry, ; Clouder, ; Märtsin, ). Neither may ever completely disappear, however: “Being able to engage with the unfamiliar, the complex and the frightening, in ways that are not dysfunctional, being able to learn from a position of ‘not knowing’: these are demanding capabilities” (Cherry, , p. 317).…”

A Concept Analysis of Otherness

“…1,4,8,31 Vulnerability is described as a physical process such as nakedness, 13 as well as an inability to understand or be understood. 8,17,18 Those who live at the border may be vulnerable because of not belonging to either group 8,9 or belonging to both. 40 Those who look or act differently from the dominant culture are most commonly marginalized 5,11 ; they may feel invisible 11,13,40 and isolated.…”

“…1 "Other" can also be used to describe those who are marginalized or live at the edges of the dominant culture. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] This concept analysis was undertaken to add to the understanding of a concept that is widely used yet remains poorly defined.…”