Multiculturalism and Diversity: the Social Psychological Point of View Monika Kovács ELTE Budapest Center for Intercultural Psychology and Education

Main topics The multicultural person Meeting difference Stereotypes, prejudice and group conflicts How can we reduce intergroup bias?

…ism discrimination/privilege (ethnocentrism, anti-Semitism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, classism, etc) stereotypes, prejudice, self-fulfilling prophecies

The multicultural person Today: main concepts 1) culture, multicultural person, privelege 2) culture shock Are you a multicultural person? Why yes or why not?

„Multiple and shifting identities” Group or social category you belong to … - with which you identify - with which you don’t identify with wich you actively disidentify

What kinds of factors influence level of identification with a group? What kinds of factors make a category or a group membership irrelevant (or „shameful”)?

Culture and Identity „refers to patterns of ideas and practices associated with any significant grouping, including gender, religion, social class, nation of origin, region of birth, birth cohort, or occupation” (Markus, 2008) „the identity of individuals comes from the communities of which they are a part” (Sampson,1989)

Social identity theory (Tajfel, 1970) of those aspects of an individual’s self-image that derive from the social categories to which he/she perceived him/her/self as belonging Perceptual categorization: the mere perception of belonging to two distinct groups is sufficient to trigger intergroup discrimination favoring the ingroup Social comparison: social categorization provides a system of self reference (relational and comperative) Identity enhancement: individuals strive to maintain or enhance their self-esteem In-group favoritism and discrimination against outgroups

The Dinamics of Un-equality „not all communities that constitute one’s unique multicultural self are equal in their position in a given society. They may differ dramatically in power (access to resources), in their size and history, and in the magnitude of their contribution to a person’s experiences” (Lott)

McIntosh: „white privilege” Corollary aspect of racism (others’ disadvantage) which puts white people at an advantage „unearned assests” (the invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, maps, passport, codebooks, visas, clothes, tools, and blank checks)

„I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race [sic!]” „I can be pretty sure that my children’s teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others’ attitudes toward their race [sic!]” „I can think over many options, social, political, imaginative or professional, without asking whether a person of my race [sic!] would be accepted or allowed to do what I want to do” „I can easily find academic courses and unstitutions which give attention only to people of my race [sic!]

„Exploring privilege” White skin „I can be pretty sure that hiring decisions will be based on my skills and experience” Male „I can order a large meal at a restaurant without feeling self-conscious” Heterosexual „I can freely introduce my significant other to family or coworkers” Able bodied „I can ask for directions without being treated as though I am mentally impaired” Middle class „If I become ill, I can be confident that I will receive the medical treatment I need” Other form

Why are we relatively unaware of the privilege we receive?

McIntosh „In proportion as my racial [sic!] group was being made confident, and oblivious, other groups were likely being made unconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated. (…) We usually think of privilege as being a favored state (…) by birth or luck. Yet some of the conditions (…) work systematically to over empower certain groups. Such privilege simpy confers dominance because of one’s race [sic!] or sex”

To what extent is an understanding of privilege relevant to eliminating discrimination?

McIntosh „We might (…) start by distinguishing between positive advantages, which we can work to spread, and negative types pf advantage, which unless rejected will always reinforce our present hierarchies”

„Frame switching” (Hong, 2000) Shifts an individual may make in interpreting events or issues from within the frames of different, multiple cultural identities. An individual can ascribe different meanings, even contradictory ones, to the same event, but only one meaning will be dominant at a particular time and place. Lott: it may also be possible for several meanings of relatively equal strength to be evoked, reflecting the influence of more than one cultural background that may be relevant to the situation.