The idea of Europe depends constitutively on its constructed others.

Evidence

Jan Nederveen Pieterse’s exploration of this theme provides insight into the ways in which the “idea of Europe” is predicated constitutively on processes that have created the “other,” those who fail to belong, both within and outside Europe. Focusing on the ways in which markers of “difference” became a mechanism for the development of images of religious, cultural, and racial difference, Pieterse’s account serves to remind us of the complex role of internal and external “boundaries” in shaping modern-day ideas about European cultures and societies. — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 167

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to vault material on Orientalism-style self/other construction (Said) and to racialization as boundary-marking.
• DEFINE: Illustrates ‘othering’ as constitutive of identity formation — Europe defined by who fails to belong.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 167