Making Intergroup Contact More Fruitful

For decades, increasing intergroup contact has been the preferred method for improving cooperation between groups. However, even proponents of this approach acknowledge that intergroup contact may not be effective in the context of intractable conflicts. One question is whether anything can be done to increase the impact of intergroup contact on cooperation. In the present study, we tested whether changing perceptions of group malleability in a pre-encounter intervention could increase the degree of cooperation during contact encounters. Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli adolescents ( N = 141) were randomly assigned either to a condition that taught that groups are malleable or to a coping, control condition. During a subsequent intergroup encounter, we used two behavioral tasks to estimate the levels of cooperation. Results indicated that relative to controls, participants in the group malleability condition showed enhanced cooperation. These findings suggest new avenues for enhancing the impact of contact in the context of intractable conflicts.

It takes three to dialogue: considering a triadic intergroup encounter

Purpose – This paper aims to present findings from a research project that examined the contribution of a third partner in an encounter among three groups: Palestinian/Arab–Israelis, Jewish–Israelis and Germans. In recent decades, planned intergroup encounters have played an important role in conflict management, reconciliation and peace-building. Nearly all models use a dyadic structure, based on an encounter between two rival groups mediated by a third party. Design/methodology/approach – The study was based on a year-long academic collaboration and two encounters between social work students from Israel and Germany (15 each). The central issues addressed were personal and collective identity; personal, familial and collective memory; and multicultural social work practice that were present in the encounter with the “other”. Participants were heterogeneous in terms of gender, ethnic background and religion, inviting exploration of personal and professional meanings. Using 15 in-depth interviews with Israeli participants, we identified and analyzed the personal and interpersonal processes occurring during these encounters. Findings – Jewish and Arab participants positioned themselves vis-à-vis the German group in two main configurations (singular identities and multiple multifaceted identities), which alternated according to the contexts to which the larger group was exposed, and in congruence with the developmental stage of group work. Originality/value – The findings suggest that a “third” partner can significantly contribute to an intergroup encounter by reflecting on the relationship created between rival parties to a dyad, thereby helping them deconstruct their binary “us-versus-them” relationship.

REGULAR ARTICLES / ARTICLES RÉGULIERS The effects of refuse-feeding on home-range use, group size, and intergroup encounters in the banded mongoose

The effects of food availability and distribution on population dynamics have been the subject of numerous experimental studies, but no study has quantified the effects of a concentrated supplementary food supply on groups of a social carnivore. We investigated the effects of refuse-feeding at garbage dumps on banded mongoose (Mungos mungo) groups. Garbage dumps represent a reliable, concentrated source of food. Data were collected from three refuse and seven nonrefuse-feeding groups in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. Groups were located using radiotelemetry, and home-range size and use, group size and population density, and intergroup encounter rate were analysed. Although refuse-feeding groups had home ranges similar in size to those of nonrefuse-feeding groups, their home-range use was more concentrated and their core areas always included the available predictable garbage dumps. Two of the three refuse-feeding groups were larger and denser than other groups. The two groups that shared the same garbage dump had significantly higher intergroup encounter rates than all other groups and their encounters occurred at the shared dump.