RELIGION IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CULTURAL ‘SELF’ AND ‘OTHER’ Alar Kilp PhD Candidate in Political Science, Lecturer in Comparative Politics at the Institute of Government and Politics, University of Tartu, Estonia, alar.kilp@ut.ee ABSTRACT. From the social constructionist perspective, cultural differ- ences are neither good nor bad, unless effectively constructed as such. The article sketches a pattern of the process of the construction of clashing cul- tural identities, which helps the understanding of the empirical paradox, why the apparently most religious conflicts are usually the ones which are accompanied by the greatest economic, political and social fears, grievances and vulnerabilities. The process of construction of a cultural Other is initiated by subjec- tive feelings of insecurity, chaos and vulnerability. As a rule, the negative subjective feelings are caused by social, economical and political concerns, the ensuing conflict, however, is constructed based on cultural identities. It is made meaningful by a reliance on religious or ideological values, beliefs, myths and narratives, and is framed with general moral binaries (such as good and evil). From the functional perspective, the representation of the negative cul- tural Other fosters social integration, helps to avoid a sense of chaos and maintains the positive feeling of national identity. In general, religion and ideology fulfill the same cultural and political function and offer a similar variety of types (moderate and radical) of functions. Religion is more efficient than ideology in extraordinary and long-lasting crises. In Western societies, the role of religion as belief has lost its cultural rel- evancy, but religion as a cultural symbol of identity has remained functional both in construction of Self and Other. Key words: social construction of reality, cultural representation of Self and Other, social commonsense, social belief system, scapegoating, reli- gious symbols in cultural identity. At some point of time, we probably have asked ourselves, or have heard our co-patriots ask: Who are we? This question is not about an identity of a particular group or about a geometric mean from the total sum of individuals. We refers symbolically  certainly imaginarily and artificially, if not mythi- cally and fictitiously  to Us as a culture. At times, we also hear debates over ideas and values, acts and behaviors, which undermine our cultural values and threaten our cultural self-identity either internally or externally. ENDC Proceedings, Volume 14, 2011, pp. 197–222. http://www.ksk.edu.ee/toimetised