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Contested Discrimination: The Societal Struggle over the Definition and Prevalence of Ethno-Racial Discrimination in Europe

Objective

Liberal democracies formally prohibit discrimination, yet it remains a persistent social problem. Prevailing frameworks focus on detecting and explaining discrimination as an objective phenomenon but overlook a critical factor: Contested Discrimination, the fundamental societal struggle over what constitutes discrimination and how prevalent it is. Indeed, this struggle may be the main catalyst for the stark disparity between the limited recognition of discrimination as a major social problem among significant segments of the majority population, vis-à-vis the lived experiences of immigrant minorities.

CONTESDIS pioneers a new approach that systematically maps clashing perspectives on discrimination, from the judgments of individual citizens, narratives in public discourse, to formal legislation. It pays particular attention to the differences between immigrant minorities and native majorities, the diversity of views within these populations, and how their perspectives align or diverge with prominent political statements, media narratives, and prevailing legal frameworks.

The project addresses three objectives through a sequential methodology. Initial archival research on discrimination cases and public discourse will subsequently inform the design of large-scale survey experiments. In a methodological leap, the data from these experiments, capturing nuanced judgments by diverse citizen subgroups, will then be used to fine-tune a Large Language Model. This creates a novel analytical tool capable of predicting how diverse citizen subgroups interpret elite political and media discourse, allowing a systematic mapping of the (mis)alignments at the heart of Contested Discrimination. A ten-country comparative design allows for a systematic analysis of how varying national policy regimes and public discourses shape these contestations.

By delivering the first systematic framework of Contested Discrimination, CONTESDIS will redefine the study of immigrant incorporation.

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Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

(opens in new window) ERC-2025-ADG

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Host institution

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 2 499 097,00
Address
NORREGADE 10
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
Region
Danmark Hovedstaden Byen København
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost
No data

Beneficiaries (1)