Othering, Belonging,

Breaking & Bridging

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Bridging to Belonging Curriculum

Gerald Lenoir

Miriam Magaña Lopez

Ashley Gallegos

Tanya Díaz

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Analysis and Case Studies

AUTHORIAL SUPPORT

PRESENTER

DATE

Facilitator

Introductions

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• Think of a time when you didn’t belong, when you were othered. What was going on and how did that experience impact you?

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• Think of a time where you experienced belonging, what did it feel like? Where was it?

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Ice Breaker

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• To develop an understanding of the frameworks of Belonging, Othering, Breaking & Bridging�
• To develop an understanding of how the frameworks are applied in different cases.

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• To inspire participants to implement these frameworks in their own work.

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Intended Outcomes

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Agenda

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Part 1: What is Belonging, Othering, Breaking & Bridging?

• Presentation & Breakouts

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Part 2: Case Study conversations

• Breakouts

2

Othering and Belonging Overview

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What do the images in this slide mean to you?

Exclusion

Integration

Inclusion

Exclusion

Integration

Belonging

What is Belonging?

Belonging describes values and practices where no person is left out of our circle of concern. Belonging means more than having just access, being seen or feeling included.�

It means that every member has a meaningful voice, that their well-being is considered, and that they have the opportunity to participate in the design of political, social, and cultural structures. Belonging includes the right to both contribute and make demands upon society and political institutions.

We Have a Big Problem, Othering

• Othering is a set of dynamics, processes and structures that engender marginality and persistent inequality across any of the full range of human differences based on group identities. Important distinction: The opposite of “othering” is not “saming.”

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• Indices of Othering
• Lack of effective voice, lack of representation, lack of recognition and lack of power�
• Othering can occur structurally, interpersonally or between groups. Othering is more durable when there are power dynamics at play.

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Structural Othering:

Xenophobic Policies

Structural Othering:

Limiting physical access to folks with disabilities

Narrative Othering:

The Stereotype of the Welfare Cheat

Inter-Group Othering:

Charlottesville

Interpersonal Othering:

Calling the Police

1. What about othering are you still sitting with?
2. What moves can you make to shift the discourse to interrupt othering in all of its forms?
1. In your organization?
2. In your community?

Reflection Questions

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What do we want?

Move Towards Belonging

Barriers

Othering

Decisions we can make

Othering

Move Towards Belonging

Outcomes

Breaking and Bridging Overview

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Video: Bridging: Towards a Society Built on Belonging

Breaking

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• Breaking is a response driven by fear and isolation. A breaking response might look like staying with what we know and who we know, rather than opening up to a new opportunity. A breaking dynamic exists when one group turns against an ‘outsider’ group; the ‘otherness’ and threat of the out-group can build psychological or physical walls between the two groups. A breaking dynamic can be driven by policies, leaders, narratives and structures that pin people against each other.

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• There are two kinds of breaking: Hard Breaking and Soft Breaking.

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• Hard Breaking examples: building a wall, a travel ban, or outright exclusion.

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• Soft Breaking example: siloed movement building, assuming English is the dominant language.

What was the story you were told when you saw these images?

Bridging

• Bridging addresses a breaking dynamic in order to develop a cohesive, more inclusive, durable, and more expansive “we” that can be identified and recognized to bring about belonging and greater social justice.

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• To “bridge” involves two or more people or groups coming together across acknowledged lines of difference (such as race and/or power dynamics) in a way that both affirms their distinct identities and creates a new inclusive “we” identity.

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• The new “we” that results need not agree on everything, or even very much; but its members should have a shared empathy and lasting stake in one another. Bridging rejects all strict “us versus them” framings, but without erasing what is different and unique in each party

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Bridging Continued

• There are short bridges and long bridges. Some require more effort to build and maintain, others are a short distance.�
• Power matters: bridging may look different when there is a power differential.�
• Bridging can also help build social capital and build power by bringing folks across different identities together. �
• Bridging is a precondition for belonging. Without bridging, it is not possible to build a society in which everyone belongs.

Case Studies

1. Where do you see breaking in the story?
2. How did the breaking dynamic manifest in the relationships of the folks involved?
3. Why is it important for African Americans and Latinx immigrants to bridge or come together? In this case and in general.
4. What policies and institutional practices are at play?
5. In this particular case, what opportunities were opened by bridging?
1. What were the reactions of the folks involved?
6. What questions or critiques do you still have about breaking, bridging and belonging?
7. Where do you see or experience breaking in your own community, organization, school, or work setting? Can you describe the negative impact that these have?
8. Do you engage in bridging in your work? If so, how?
9. If you don’t already bridge, how might you apply what you learned today?
10. What world do you see when we instead decide to bridge?

Case Study #1 Questions

Case Study #2 Questions

• Where do you see breaking in the story?
• Why did the folks involved want to address the breaking dynamic?
• Why is it important for Black and Native folks to bridge or come together?
• What policies and practices are the reason for othering?
• In this particular case, what opportunities were opened by bridging?
• What were the reactions of the folks involved?

6. What questions or critiques do you still have about breaking, bridging and belonging?

7. Where do you see or experience breaking in your own community, organization, school, or work setting? Can you describe the negative impact that these have?

8. Do you engage in bridging in your work? If so, how?

9. If you don’t already bridge, how might you apply what you learned today?

10. What world do you see when we instead decide to bridge?

Case Study #3 Questions

1. Where do you see breaking in the story?
2. How did the breaking dynamic manifest in the way that students learned?
3. What policies and practices are the reason for othering in this particular case?
4. In this particular case, what opportunities were opened by bridging?
5. What questions or critiques do you still have about breaking, bridging and belonging?
6. Where do you see or experience breaking in your own community, organization, school, or work setting? Can you describe the negative impact that these have?
7. Do you engage in bridging in your work? If so, how?
8. If you don’t already bridge, how might you apply what you learned today?
9. What world do you see when we instead decide to bridge?

Case Study #4 Questions

• Where do you see breaking in the story?
• How did the breaking dynamic manifest among organizers in California?
• What policies and practices are the reason for othering in this particular case?
• In this particular case, what opportunities were opened by bridging?
• What questions or critiques do you still have about breaking, bridging and belonging?
• Where do you see or experience breaking in your own community, organization, school, or work setting? Can you describe the negative impact that these have?
• Do you engage in bridging in your work? If so, how?
• If you don’t already bridge, how might you apply what you learned today?
• What world do you see when we instead decide to bridge?

Did We Meet These Intended Outcomes?

• To develop an understanding of the frameworks of Belonging, Othering, Breaking & Bridging

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• To develop an understanding of how the frameworks are applied in different cases.

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• To inspire participants to implement these frameworks in their own work.

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For more resources: belonging.berkeley.edu/bridging-belonging-case-series

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