Abstract
Studies gathered in this volume examines questions connected to the textual construction of otherness. Who was the other in the Late Middle Ages? How was he treated by contemporary authors? What were his socio-cultural meanings within the narrative? These broad questions are applied, above all, to the phenomenon of Hussitism, whose heterodox character is analyzed in a comparative perspective with other forms of difference (ethnic, cultural, political).
The process of creation and persistence of heterostereotypes as well as various forms of enmity are also addressed. Synthesizing different conceptual approaches, the introductory essay formulates three main determinants which participate in the process of othering: stereotypes, frontiers, and genre determinations.
They are approached as frameworks through which the other is defi ned and medialized, being understood not only as producers of opinions, but also as perceptual tools. Three categories prevailing in studies present in this volume are identifi ed where concrete images of the other acquire particular meanings: heretics, barbarians, and enemies.
These categories, however, are not to be treated separately. Specifi c imagery and topoï of every one of them overlap and merge, so that the image of the other may result from religious, cultural, ethnic, and political aspects all at once.