The Image of Alterity in Contemporary Literature and Visual Arts

Alterity represents a philosophical concept framed by Emmanuel Levinas, which mirrors the representation of the other; that is why the concept it also known under the name of 'the otherness'. Although alterity was established as a concept in the field of philosiphy, it is also deployed in other domains and disciplines such as: anthropology (Michael Taussing, Pauline Turner Strong), arts (John Michael Cooper), religion and pre-eminently in literature (Mallarme) and cultural studies. In terms of antropology, alterity refers to the representation and projections of the other. In this sense, Michael Taussing opines that alterity implies both 'Mimesis' (the internalized image of the other) and 'Alterity' (the symbolic interspace between Self and Other). In other words, the author defines through alterity the opposition between Self and Other (the contrast between two ontologic entities).