Can we prove that RE promotes good community relations? Shelley McKeown Jones1, Janet Orchard1, Amanda Williams1 and Rachael Jackson- Royal 1University of Bristol

Contact Hypothesis (Allport,1954) Equal Status Cooperation Successful intergroup contact Common Goals Social or institutional support

General Limitations Equal status and the conditions Contact may increase conflict & perceived differences. Problem of generalization Applicable in everyday life?- next. 3

Three main limitations Dixon et al. (2005) The prioritizing of the study of interactions occurring under rarefied conditions The reformation of lay understandings of contact in terms of a generic typology of ideal dimensions. The use of shifts in personal prejudice as the primary source of outcome.

Contact in the ‘real world’ The harsh realities

Micro-ecology in South Africa The spacio-temporal unfolding of interaction and isolation at relatively intimate levels of analysis and across a variety of everyday life settings (Dixon and Tredoux, 2008). Universities (Koen and Durrheim, 2010) Schools (Clack et al. 2005) Beaches (Dixon and Durrheim, 2003) Public steps (Tredoux et al. 2005) Cafeterias (Schrieff et al. 2005)

Micro-ecological maps Beach study- Scottburgh University lecture theatre Dixon and Durrheim (2003) Koen and Durrheim (2009) Micro-ecological maps

Examining the micro-ecology of segregation In a (ethno) religiously divided society

Northern Ireland Part of the UK Partition in 1921 Population: 1.811 million 48% Protestant 45% Catholic

The micro-ecology of segregation Study 1- in an environment where intergroup contact is encouraged- integrated schools Study 2- in a naturally religiously mixed environment- further education college Study 3- in a naturally occurring contact intervention where contact is suggested to be optimal

Brief method Sample Three schools (4 classes in each, 2 yr 8 and 2 yr 10) One FE college (3 classes) Cross- community intervention (2x groups of 50) Materials and procedure: Observations of seating choice over time Self-report : infrahumanization, anxiety and self-esteem Analyses Mapping- school as proxy for religion Adjacency index, dissimilarity index, exposure index

Results summary Integrated schools Further education college Segregation over time, across year groups Further education college Segregation existed and persisted, as did infrahumanization Cross-community Segregation at T1 not at T2 Infrahumanization present at T1 but not at T2, decrease in anxiety and increase in self-esteem