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The paradox of belonging

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Abstract

The paper argues that human groupings are not found but made. Reasons – political and psychological – are suggested to explain why groups are made. These are followed by a consideration of how groups are made, specifically, how cognitive and emotional mechanisms are mobilized to create and sustain differentiations between human groupings.

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Notes

  1. See Dalal (2002a) for a detailed semantic history of how the meanings of the terms black and white have evolved in the English language. The connotations of ‘black’ became increasingly negative from the 12th century onwards. In the sixteenth century, emotions that were disapproved of started being named black for the first time.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Group Analysis, London, UK

    Farhad Dalal

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  1. Farhad Dalal
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Correspondence to Farhad Dalal.

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Dalal, F. The paradox of belonging. Psychoanal Cult Soc 14, 74–81 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1057/pcs.2008.47

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