Intergroup relations and social change: New concepts and new methods (GP&IR track workshop)

Semester

Semester 2, 2023-2024

Type of course

Theory-oriented Workshops

Date

April 3 and April 4, 2024

Location

University of Groningen

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Duration

2 days

Maximum number of participants

25

ECTS

1 EC will be appointed for participation in the complete course

Staff

Huseyin Cakal (Keele University), Ruthie Pliskin (LEI), Toon Kuppens (RUG)

In this GP&IR track workshop, Huseyin will discuss his work on “intergroup relations and social change”. The seminar will introduce and discuss questions (a) What are the sedative and energizing effects of prejudice reduction strategies on social change motivations? (b) When do these effects demonstrate themselves? (c) How do groups of different status respond to these effects? (d) What are the alternative approaches to study intergroup relations and social change in WEIRD and non-WEIRD societies? Participants will be invited to consider these questions, generating their own research questions in application to a variety of intergroup contexts, e.g., binary versus multi-group, through collaborative group work. There will be an opportunity for the students to present their ideas and develop collaborative project ideas. 

Day 1: New Concepts and New Questions on Prejudice Reduction Strategies and Social Change Motivations

Research on prejudice reduction and social change has moved on from simple unidirectional effects, e.g., sedative (Cakal et al. 2011, and binary conceptualizations to multi-effect and multi-group perspectives. I will start by introducing alternative conceptualizations of contact, i.e., vertical versus horizontal, and identity, i.e., common ingroup vs social identity complexity, and outline how multi-group contexts that involve several groups of different social standing might influence these processes through a selection of projects from different parts of the world (Turkiye, Nigeria, UK, and Iran). We will focus on why these novel concepts and approaches are needed and how we can deploy them to better approximate the complex relationality of intergroup relations in the wild.  We will focus on how groups across the disadvantage spectrum are likely to respond to both sedative and energizing effects of prejudice reduction strategies. The participants will also have the opportunity to discuss the applicability of these concepts to more “conventional” Western settings and different research questions. 

In the second part of the day, the participants will discuss their research ideas and possible points of convergence and suitability with their research context. We will work on these ideas with the aim of developing actual research questions and exploring their applicability. We will finish the day with a session on different roles of graduate students (Title: Three Hats of a Social Psychologist) and how to develop each of these roles. There will also be an opportunity for the interested students to participate in ongoing work towards a publication. 

Day 2: 

The changing nature of research on prejudice reduction and social change and attempts to better reflect the complex nature of the intergroup relations across the globe notwithstanding, research continued to favour conventional quantitative and binary approaches. Attempts to conduct research in non-WEIRD context also continued to rely on these perspectives. The session will critically discuss how alternative approaches discussed in Day 1 and alternative research paradigms, e.g. co-creative approach that actively involves of all stakeholders (end-users, decision makers, and researchers) in various stages of the knowledge production process can be employed to maximize stakeholder involvement and societal impact through collaborative projects and by facilitating cross-pollination of ideas and perspectives especially in resource-poor settings. Participants will be invited to actively contribute to the session on how to reconcile these perspectives with research on social change and what these mean for current expectations in the academia. 

Literature

Reading the below literature is a compulsory aspect of taking part in the workshop

• Cakal, H., Eller, A., Sirlopu, D., & Perez, A. (2016). Intergroup relations in Latin America: Intergroup contact, common ingroup identity, and activism among indigenous groups in Mexico and Chile. Journal of Social Issues, 72(2), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12170
• Cakal, H., Halabi, S., Cazan, A.-M., & Eller, A. (2021). Intergroup Contact and Endorsement of Social Change Motivations: The Mediating Role of Intergroup Trust, Perspective-Taking, and Intergroup Anxiety among Three Advantaged Groups in northern Cyprus, Romania, and Israel. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 24, 48–67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430219885163
• Cakal, H., Hewstone, M., Schwär, G., & Heath, A. (2011). An investigation of the social identity model of collective action and the ‘sedative’ effect of intergroup contact among Black and White students in South Africa. British Journal of Social Psychology, 50, 606–627. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8309.2011.02075.x
• Dixon, J., Elcheroth, G., Kerr, P., Drury, J., Albzour, M., Subašić, E., Durrheim, K., & Green, E. G. T. (2020). It’s not just ‘us’ versus ‘them’: Moving beyond binary perspectives on intergroup processes. European Review of Social Psychology, 31(1), 40–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1738767

Recommended reading (not compulsory)

• Çakal, H., Hewstone, M., Güler, M., & Heath, A. (2016). Predicting support for collective action in the conflict between Turks and Kurds: Perceived threats as a mediator of intergroup contact and social identity. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 19(6). https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430216641303
• Dixon, J., Cakal, H., Khan, W., Osmany, M., Majumdar, S., & Hassan, M. (2017). Contact , political solidarity and collective action : An indian case study of relations between historically disadvantaged communities. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 95, 83–95. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2296
• Pettigrew, T. F., & Hewstone, M. (2017). The Single Factor Fallacy: Implications of Missing Critical Variables from an Analysis of Intergroup Contact Theory. Social Issues and Policy Review, 11(1), 8–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12026

Program

Day 1 

10.30 – 10.55  Coffee and tea

10.55 – 11.00  Welcome and introduction

11.00 – 12.00  Introduction: Sedative versus Energizing Effects of Prejudice Reduction Strategies on Social Change Motivations

12.00 – 13.00  Breakout session—Mini Sandpit on Research Question Development

13:00 – 14.00  Lunch 

14.00 – 15.30  Presentations by the participants 

15.30 – 16.00  Coffee and Tea

16.00 – 17.00  Three Hats of a Social Psychologists: Expectations from and Roles of Graduate Students in Research

17.00 – 18:30  Drinks (De Bres) - optional

18:30 - 20.00  Dinner (TBA) - optional

Day 2 

09.00 – 09.30  Coffee and tea

09.30 – 10.30  Introduction:  Applicability of New Concepts & New Questions to (non) Conventional WEIRD and conventional non-WEIRD settings. 

10.30 – 12.00  Presentations by the participants

12.00 – 13.15  Lunch 

13.15 – 14.15  Breakout session—development of research proposals

14.15 – 14.30  Coffee and tea

14.30 – 16.00  Presentation and plenary discussion of research proposals

16:00– 17.00  Drinks (De Minnaar) - optional