"The other" : The Significance of the Signifier

Abstract

This thesis explores the literary, cultural and psychological landscape of the "the other", as the phenomenon has prevailed throughout human history, in varying forms and functions. Employing postcolonial theories (emphasizing the writings of Edward Said, Frantz Fanon and Homi Bhabha) alongside works of fiction, the thesis seeks to explore four instances of stereotyping. Focusing my efforts on the powers which enable the concept, I attempt to prove the validity of a hypothesis, wherein the concept of "othering" is linked to the colonial forces, rather than the colonized subjects. Consequently, trough the aid of two short stories "Is There Nowhere Else Where We Can Meet?" and "The Catch" - and two novels - "Robinson Crusoe" and "A Passage to India" - this dissertation endeavour to link the differing instances of "ohering" together into a single cohesive truth.