Strangers to Ourselves

In Strangers to Ourselves, Julia Kristeva offers a profound meditation on foreignness—not merely as a social or political issue, but as a fundamental aspect of the human psyche. First published in French in 1988 and translated into English in 1991, the book combines psychoanalysis, philosophy, history, and political reflection to challenge the boundaries we draw between self and other. For Kristeva, the figure of the stranger is not only the immigrant, refugee, or outsider we encounter in society—it is also the hidden, repressed, and unsettling part of ourselves we strive to deny. The “foreigner” becomes a mirror that reveals our inner divisions.

Kristeva traces the genealogy of the foreigner in Western thought, from ancient Greek attitudes to the Enlightenment’s ambivalent universalism, and into modern debates about national identity and xenophobia. Drawing on thinkers like Kant, Freud, Arendt, and Heidegger, she critiques the illusions of purity and cohesion that underpin nationalist and exclusionary ideologies. Her reflections are particularly prescient in an era marked by rising anti-immigrant sentiment and cultural isolationism. Rather than promoting assimilation or erasure, Kristeva advocates for a cosmopolitan ethic grounded in recognition, complexity, and shared vulnerability.

As a psychoanalyst and one of the most influential figures in poststructuralist thought, Kristeva brings a unique sensitivity to the inner life of both individuals and cultures. She argues that by acknowledging the “stranger within”—our own contradictions, unconscious fears, and fragmented identities—we might cultivate greater tolerance for difference in the world around us. This inward turn does not diminish the urgency of political action; rather, it calls for a more profound, ethical openness to others. “To worry or to smile,” she writes, “such is the choice when we are assailed by the strange. But the foreigner is within me, hence we are all foreigners.”

Critically acclaimed and widely discussed in cultural theory, psychoanalysis, and migration studies, Strangers to Ourselves has become a cornerstone text in examining the psychological dimensions of multiculturalism and the ethics of hospitality. Kristeva’s writing, while intellectually dense, is suffused with a literary elegance and emotional depth that make her arguments resonate far beyond the academy.

Julia Kristeva has been awarded numerous honors, including the Holberg Prize and the Hannah Arendt Prize, in recognition of her contributions to philosophy, feminism, and critical theory. Her work bridges continents, disciplines, and discourses, embodying the spirit of intellectual cosmopolitanism.

For the Center for Cosmopolitan Culture, Strangers to Ourselves is emblematic of the kind of deep, humane inquiry we believe must guide global coexistence. Kristeva’s insistence that the borders between self and other are always shifting—and that confronting this reality is a moral imperative—aligns with our vision of culture as a space of encounter, transformation, and shared responsibility.