Social change through contact
Conflicts and tension are critical problems facing society today. One way to improve intergroup relations is through intergroup contact, which involves cooperative and friendly encounters across group lines, which can improve attitudes. Through vast research, a sense of optimism was generated by recognising a potential for creating more tolerant societies via contact interventions. However, there remains a significant amount of debate as to how effective contact is in terms of increasing social justice and group equality. CONTACT AND CHANGE (The irony of harmony: Examining how experiences of intergroup contact can undermine potential for social change toward equality) was an EU-funded project that examined the consequences of intergroup contact for social change using a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach. Several studies were conducted in the first phases and results were published in high tier psychological journals. The studies involve diverse population including samples of Ethiopian Jews and of Ashkenazi-Jews in Israel, and Latinos in the United States. Furthermore, experimental designs were used in considering the role of group-based power in the dynamics of contact. Findings revealed that members of high-status groups are motivated to take part in intergroup encounters that focus on commonalities. By contrast, low-status groups exhibit more desire to address topics relating to differences between groups. Moreover, findings provide compelling evidence for the effect of commonality-focused contact on inequality perceptions among members of both disadvantaged and advantaged groups. Specifically, results show that encounters that are focused on commonalities, can reduce awareness to inequality, and lessen resistance to social inequality. As such, it can impact the way people view and are dedicated to resolving social inequality.
Keywords
Social change, contact theory, contact interventions, equality, intergroup contact
