The AMIGAS Model: Reconciling Prejudice Reduction and Collective Action Approaches Through a Multicultural Commitment in Intergroup Relations

2021 ◽  
pp. 108926802110563
Author(s):  
Ana Urbiola ◽  
Craig McGarty ◽  
Rui Costa-Lopes
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Intercultural Dialogue ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Disadvantaged Groups ◽  
Intergroup Inequality ◽  
Reduction Approach ◽  
Policies And Practices

Social psychology’s search for ways to address intergroup inequality has grappled with two approaches that have been considered incompatible: (a) the prejudice reduction approach, that argues that changing individual negative attitudes will undermine the basis for discrimination and lead to intergroup harmony; and (b) the collective action approach, that argues that social protest and activism can improve the position of disadvantaged groups. The problem is that efforts toward prejudice reduction may serve to suppress genuine efforts to change. We propose the Achieving Multicultural Integration of Groups Across Society (AMIGAS) model, in which a multicultural commitment is proposed as a driver of both improved intergroup evaluations and promotion of collective action for reduced inequality, especially in contexts where there are conditions for a respectful intercultural dialogue. The AMIGAS model is a theoretical advance in the field of intergroup relations and a basis for implementing effective egalitarian policies and practices.

Beyond prejudice: Relational inequality, collective action, and social change revisited

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 451-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Dixon ◽  
Mark Levine ◽  
Steve Reicher ◽  
Kevin Durrheim
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Main Target ◽  
Subordinate Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Intergroup Inequality

AbstractThis response clarifies, qualifies, and develops our critique of the limits of intergroup liking as a means of challenging intergroup inequality. It does not dispute that dominant groups may espouse negative attitudes towards subordinate groups. Nor does it dispute that prejudice reduction can be an effective way of tackling resulting forms of intergroup hostility. What it does dispute is the assumption that getting dominant group members and subordinate group members to like each other more is the best way of improving intergroup relations that are characterized by relatively stable, institutionally embedded, relations of inequality. In other words, the main target of our critique is the model of change that underlies prejudice reduction interventions and the mainstream concept of “prejudice” on which they are based.

Are attitudes the problem, and do psychologists have the answer? Relational cognition underlies intergroup relations

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 449-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Waldzus ◽  
Thomas W. Schubert ◽  
Maria-Paola Paladino
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Negative Attitudes

AbstractThe focus on negative attitudes toward other groups has led to a dichotomy between the prejudice reduction and the collective action approach. To solve the resulting problems identified by Dixon et al., we suggest analyzing the psychological processes underlying the construction of relationships (and their alternatives) between own and other groups.

scholarly journals Prejudice reduction, collective action, and then what?

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 425-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Abrams ◽  
Milica Vasiljevic ◽  
Hazel M. Wardrop
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Potential Conflict ◽  
Conflict Escalation ◽  
Multiple Levels

AbstractDespite downsides, it must, on balance, be good to reduce prejudice. Despite upsides, collective action can also have destructive outcomes. Improving intergroup relations requires multiple levels of analysis involving a broader approach to prejudice reduction, awareness of potential conflict escalation, development of intergroup understanding, and promotion of a wider human rights perspective.

Echoing the call to move “beyond prejudice” in search of intergroup equality

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 450-451
Author(s):  
Stephen C. Wright ◽  
Lisa M. Bitacola
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Group Interaction ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Interpersonal Processes ◽  
Interpersonal Dynamics ◽  
Psychological Constructs

AbstractWe also critique the myopic focus on prejudice reduction, but we do not support the call for a reconceptualization of prejudice. Redefining key psychological constructs is unproductive. Also, we point to interpersonal dynamics in cross-group interaction as a key mechanism in the prejudice reduction/collective action paradox and point to solutions involving intrapersonal/interpersonal processes, as well as broader structural intergroup relations.

Traditional prejudice remains outside of the WEIRD world

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 427-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Bilewicz
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Racial Minorities ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Ethnic Conflicts ◽  
Democratic Societies

AbstractDixon et al. accurately describe subtle mechanisms of discrimination that inhibit minorities' collective action in modern democratic societies. This commentary suggests that in contemporary non-Western societies, where ethnic conflicts are more violent, traditional overt forms of prejudice still exist and predict discrimination of ethnic and racial minorities. Thus, prejudice reduction models should and do improve intergroup relations in such contexts.

scholarly journals Examining prejudice reduction through solidarity and togetherness experiences among Gezi Park activists in Turkey

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasemin Gülsüm Acar ◽  
Özden Melis Uluğ
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Common Ground ◽  
Intergroup Contact ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Disadvantaged Groups ◽  
Group Perceptions ◽  
Brain Sciences ◽  
The Status ◽  
Action Model ◽  
Working Together

Prejudice reduction research has focused on reducing negative regard as a means to improve relations between various groups (e.g., religious, ethnic, political). Though positive regard between groups may be created, these forms of contact and common identification do not alter policy orientations of advantaged groups toward disadvantaged ones. Rather than intergroup contact, it is suggested that a collective action model of prejudice reduction (Dixon, J., Levine, M., Reicher, S., & Durrheim, K. (2012). Beyond prejudice: Are negative evaluations the problem and is getting us to like one another more the solution? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 35, 411-425) would create ties between disadvantaged groups to work toward beneficial policy change. We seek to show that the Gezi Park protests in Taksim, İstanbul functioned as an intergroup phenomenon, requiring the cooperation of a number of disadvantaged groups (e.g., feminists, Kurds) working together to improve the status of all present. In a series of interviews with 34 activists from the Gezi Park protests, participants were to reflect on their individual and group-based experiences during their time in the Gezi Park protests. Data indicate that although a few groups remained distant or disconnected during the protests, a common ground was achieved such that some participants were able to overcome past prejudices. Data also indicate that through group perceptions and individuals’ descriptions of events, groups who had previously not been able to cooperate were able to work and stick together at Gezi. Results also imply, in line with Dixon et al. (2012), that if disadvantaged groups work together, they might change the position of their groups and improve each group’s disadvantaged position via collective action.

The Strategies and Contexts of Social Protest: Political Mediation and the Impact of the Townsend Movement in California

1999 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Amenta ◽  
Drew Halfmann ◽  
Michael Young
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Protest ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Old Age Pensions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Political Mediation

We contend that the collective action of state-oriented challengers is politically mediated, and that the impact of collective action will differ according to political contexts. More specifically, we argue that mobilization and limited protest will yield collective benefits in specified favorable political circumstances; more assertive action is required in specified less favorable circumstances. In addition to specifying these arguments, we go some distance toward appraising them, by examining the Townsend Movement, an American old-age pension challenger of the 1930s and 1940s, and the politics of old-age pensions in California. Historical, "similar systems," and regression analyses indicate that the movement had an impact on California old-age policy that varied according to the expectations of our political mediation arguments.

scholarly journals Incorporating Social-Marketing Insights Into Prejudice Research: Advancing Theory and Demonstrating Real-World Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 608-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitchell R. Campbell ◽  
Markus Brauer
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Real World ◽  
Intergroup Relations ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Prejudice Reduction ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Real World Applications ◽  
Reduction Methods

Prejudice researchers have proposed a number of methods to reduce prejudice, drawing on and, in turn, contributing to our theoretical understanding of prejudice. Despite this progress, relatively few of these methods have been shown to reliably improve intergroup relations in real-world settings, resulting in a gap between our theoretical understanding of prejudice and real-world applications of prejudice-reduction methods. In this article, we suggest that incorporating principles from another field, social marketing, into prejudice research can help address this gap. Specifically, we describe three social-marketing principles and discuss how each could be used by prejudice researchers. Several areas for future research inspired by these principles are discussed. We suggest that a hybrid approach to research that uses both theory-based and problem-based principles can provide additional tools for field practitioners aiming to improve intergroup relations while leading to new advances in social-psychological theory.

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