Allyship: Definitions, Dilemmas and Multiple Perspectives (GP&IR track workshop)

Semester

Semester 2, 2025-2026

Type of course

Theory-oriented Workshops

Date

April 14 and April 15, 2026

Location

Utrecht University

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Duration

2 days

Maximum number of participants

24

ECTS

1 EC will be appointed for participation in the complete course

Staff

Maja Kutlaca (Durham University), Ruthie Pliskin (Leiden University), Toon Kuppens (University of Groningen)

In this workshop, Kutlaca will discuss her work on allyship, reflect on the key theoretical debates and the usefulness of this concept for research on social change. The workshop will begin by examining how allyship has been defined in the literature, as an identity, a set of motivations, a pattern of behaviours, or a combination of these. We will explore the implications and consequences of allyship for both more and less privileged groups, as well as for society as a whole. On the second day, the workshop will expand to consider allyship across different contexts, including organizations and social movements, and will reflect on how allyship manifests across diverse cultural and political settings. Particular attention will be paid to the limited research on allyship beyond Global North contexts.

 

Day 1: What Is Allyship? Conceptualizing Allyship and Its Implications for Social Change

The first day will focus on different perspectives on what allyship is and how it should be studied, whether primarily as an identity, a motivation, a set of behaviours, or some combination thereof. We will discuss how the causes and consequences of allyship can differ substantially depending on whether the researchers take the perspective of marginalized, oppressed, or disadvantaged groups or of the more privileged or advantaged groups. Additionally, we will examine how certain combinations of motivations and behaviours may indicate more or less genuine forms of allyship, and how the same allyship behaviours can produce both positive and negative outcomes for marginalized/disadvantaged/oppressed groups. Importantly, we will discuss why allyship does not always lead to the desired forms of social change.

Participants are urged to present their own work and begin developing ideas for collaborative research projects. In the afternoon, we will hold a broader discussion on allyship and social change within academia. In addition to researching activism, Maja has been part of activist groups working in and outside of academia, and will share her experiences with students.  

 

Day 2: Allyship Across Contexts, Cultures, and Political Systems

The second day will focus on the various contexts in which allyship occurs, including interpersonal relationships, workplaces, and activist spaces. We will also consider how allyship operates in different political environments, particularly those characterized by varying levels of repression. Allyship research has been conducted predominantly in the Global North, and especially in the United States, which begs a question whether our theorizing of allyship can adequately capture how allyship functions in other cultural and political contexts shaped by different values and forms of oppression. Participants will be invited to collaboratively explore what constitutes allyship across diverse cultural, political, and social settings, and for different groups.

 

Literature 

• Bhattacharyya, B., Erskine, S. E., & McCluney, C. (2024). Not all allies are created equal: An intersectional examination of relational allyship for women of color at work. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 182, 104331.
• *De Souza, L., & Schmader, T. (2024). When People Do Allyship: A Typology of Allyship Action. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10888683241232732
• Kutlaca, M., Radke, H. R., Iyer, A., & Becker, J. C. (2020). Understanding allies’ participation in social change: A multiple perspectives approach. European Journal of Social Psychology, 50(6), 1248-1258.
• *Kutlaca, M., & Radke, H. R. (2023). Towards an understanding of performative allyship: Definition, antecedents and consequences. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 17(2), e12724.
• *Kutlaca, M., Radke, H. R., & Becker, J. C. (2022). The impact of including advantaged groups in collective action against social inequality on politicized identification of observers from disadvantaged and advantaged groups. Political Psychology, 43(2), 297-315.
• *Uluğ, Ö. M., Chayinska, M., Schreiber, J. A., & Taylor, L. K. (2024). A multi-dimensional typology of allyship action in violent intergroup conflict settings: Differentiating actor, target, and type of action. European Review of Social Psychology, 1-46.

* To facilitate understanding and discussion, the participants are strongly encouraged to read these papers 

 

Program

Day 1 

10.30 – 10.55  Coffee and tea

10.55 – 11.00  Welcome and introduction

11.00 – 12.00  Lecture: What is allyship really? Definitions, Dilemmas, Benefits and Pitfalls 

12.00 – 13.00  Breakout session— Developing Collaborative Research Ideas 

13:00 – 14.00  Lunch 

14.00 – 15.30  Presentations by the participants on their own PhD projects

15.30 – 16.00  Coffee and Tea

16.00 – 17.00  Mentorship discussion on change in academia: Allyship, Power and the Need for Institutional Change 

17.00 – 18:30  Drinks (TBA) - optional

18:30 - 20.00   Dinner (TBA) - optional

 

Day 2 

09.30 – 9.45    Coffee and tea

9.45 – 10.45    Lecture: Contextualizing Allyship: On the Importance of Context, Politics and Culture  

10.45 – 11.45  Breakout session—development of research proposals

11.45 – 13.30  Extended lunch break 

13.30 – 14.45  Presentations by participants on their own PhD projects

14.45 – 15.30  Coffee and tea + Breakout session continues

15.30 – 17.00  Presentation and plenary discussion of research proposals

17:00 –            Drinks - optional