The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity

Drawing on a substantial body of evidence, Maykel Verkuyten takes us on a fascinating journey looking at ethnic identity in contemporary western European societies. Reading this book is like participating in a social psychological debate that you don't wish to end. The author invites social psychologists to think over our theories and research on ethnicity and identity and provides us with ideas for future research. Its publication enriches the discipline of social psychology and...
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Drawing on a substantial body of evidence, Maykel Verkuyten takes us on a fascinating journey looking at ethnic identity in contemporary western European societies. Reading this book is like participating in a social psychological debate that you don't wish to end. The author invites social psychologists to think over our theories and research on ethnicity and identity and provides us with ideas for future research. Its publication enriches the discipline of social psychology and contributes to our understanding of the societies in which we live. Scholars and students alike will gain much from reading it. Xenia Chryssochoou, Department of Psychology, Panteion University, Athens Questions of ethnicity, migration, identity and multi-culturalism are hotly debated in many countries and societies. Ethnicity has become a major feature of social structure, everyday interaction, self-understandings, and political debates and conflicts around the world. Ethnic diversity challenges the existing social hierarchies and exclusionary conceptions of citizenship, but also leads to a new tribalism that threatens democracy and social cohesion.; The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity aims to show that while, on the one hand, social psychology is important to the development of our understanding of ethnicity, on the other, an increased attention to ethnicity has benefits for the development of the discipline of social psychology. It offers the possibility of asking new social psychological questions while considering neglected issues and filling theoretical and empirical gaps in the current literature. This book also aims to show how questions of ethnicity offer interesting opportunities for trying to combine or reconcile mainstream work that focuses on cognition, perception and attitudes with more discursive social psychologies. By combining critical theoretical thinking with the author's own programme of original research, this timely monograph explores and addresses the key issues of a social psychological understanding of ethnic identity.