<p>In this dissertation I address the question of why some social groups classify some people and groups as strangers. To answer the question I focus the stranger in the writings of the Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman.</p><p>According to Bauman, the social construction of the stranger cannot be compared with the asymmetrical relation between an in-group and an out-group. An in-group stands for friends and proximity. It considers the out-group as the enemy at a distance. The hierarchical and a reciprocal relationship that exists between the in-group and the out-group is a part of the social order. The stranger, on the other hand, is constructed in the ambivalent position between the in-group and the out-group. Since there is no room for the stranger in an orderly world she has to be dealt with in a way that keeps the world free from incongruity.</p><p>Since Bauman considers the moral consequence of cultural classification, his work is also relevant for the question of living with the stranger. Leaving the Occidental rational tradition in favour of a phenomenological tradition, Bauman offers a view that considers the encounter with the stranger as a moral meeting. Highlighting responsibility, instead of social arrangements, law or tradition, Bauman visualises the stranger as a moral subject and not as aparticular social type, one who is constantly out of place</p><p>The theoretical considerations of the social making of the stranger, and the moral understanding of living <i>for</i> the stranger, contribute to a deeper understanding about the institutional origins of social marginalisation and cultural exclusion.</p>

In this dissertation I address the question of why some social groups classify some people and groups as strangers. To answer the question I focus the stranger in the writings of the Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman. According to Bauman, the social construction of the stranger cannot be compared with the asymmetrical relation between an in-group and an out-group. An in-group stands for friends and proximity. It considers the out-group as the enemy at a distance. The hierarchical and a reciprocal relationship that exists between the in-group and the out-group is a part of the social order. The stranger, on the other hand, is constructed in the ambivalent position between the in-group and the out-group. Since there is no room for the stranger in an orderly world she has to be dealt with in a way that keeps the world free from incongruity. Since Bauman considers the moral consequence of cultural classification, his work is also relevant for the question of living with the stranger. Leaving the Occidental rational tradition in favour of a phenomenological tradition, Bauman offers a view that considers the encounter with the stranger as a moral meeting. Highlighting responsibility, instead of social arrangements, law or tradition, Bauman visualises the stranger as a moral subject and not as aparticular social type, one who is constantly out of place The theoretical considerations of the social making of the stranger, and the moral understanding of living for the stranger, contribute to a deeper understanding about the institutional origins of social marginalisation and cultural exclusion.

The purpose of this study was to expand our understanding of the utility of identification in the reduction of out-group derogation. Specifically, this research examined the extent to which individuals can be persuaded to identify with members of a perceived out-group, particularly through the use of online games. Spent is an online, point-and-click game that places users in the role of the working poor. Spent was used to test the potential of serious or prosocial games to increase players’ identification with a group of people who are often on the fringes of social acceptance. Specifically, this research (a) developed a new measurement of cause identification, the Identification with Perceived Out-Group Scale (IPOGS), (b) tested the validity and reliability of the IPOGS, and (c) examined the change in identification with America’s poor after playing the online game Spent. Following a pilot test of the Identification with Perceived Out-Group Scale, 55 young adults (ages 18-35) were recruited to participate in a quasi-experiment. Initially, participants completed the IPOGS and then played the online game Spent. Upon completion of the game, participants took the IPOGS again. Participants were also asked questions about their game play experience and basic demographic information. Results indicate that individuals who had lower levels of identification with America's poor had significantly higher levels of identification after playing the online game. The increase in identification was evidenced in a greater perception of common interests and values, greater affective attachment, and greater willingness to interact with the working poor after playing Spent. These findings suggest that nonprofit organizations may find online gaming beneficial when trying to cultivate identification with their causes, particularly among young adults.

This study aim’s to examine how conceptions regarding culture and ethnicity influence the daily work of personnel in integration projects financed by the European Social Fund (ESF). The method of this study was individual semi-structured interviews with nine persons working in three different projects. The reason why we have chosen these specific projects was because of their work with immigrant participants. Concepts that our study is based on was culture and ethnicity, but also the theory considering in-groups and out-groups. The result of our study shows that the personnel acknowledge the importance of individual adaptation in the work with the participants, but with awareness considering cultural expressions based on their origin. The answers of the personnel also reveal a cultural hierarchy in the Swedish society. We found out that discrimination from employers is mainly based on the immigrant’s lack of Swedish linguistics. The personnel consider the knowledge of language to be one of the most important factors for immigrants when integrating into a new society. Some of the personnel mentioned that cultural prejudices affect their refutation in the meeting with immigrant participants.