Separating the "us" from the "other" has been used to strengthen the "us" in order to have a common enemy. It's a strategy to peg groups of people against each other. Toni Morrison's reviews this concept of "othering" with examples in literary works of her own and of other authors. This collection of essays is very current in the light of the political climate in the USA, but also on a grander scale due to globalization and the refugee crisis in Europe.