Diversity & Inclusion Workshop by Prof Jasper van Assche

You are cordially invited to the Diversity & Inclusion Workshop by Prof Jasper van Assche.

Topic: The Roots of Diversity Ideologies: Intergroup contact and socialisation as sources of influence.

Abstract: 

Diversity ideologies offer strategies for managing ethnic/cultural diversity in ways that improve intercultural relations. Alongside the rather classical frameworks of colourblindness and multiculturalism, interculturalism and polyculturalism have recently gained greater visibility. With their positive outlook on intergroup relations, dynamic view of group boundaries, and strong emphasis on intercultural connections, evidence of their relationship with positive intercultural outcomes has been accumulating. Although empirical evidence on the outcomes associated with the endorsement of diversity ideologies is abundant, research on what predicts this endorsement remains limited, particularly regarding interculturalism and polyculturalism. Thus, this lecture provides an integrative review of past and ongoing research on predictors of diversity ideologies, primarily focusing on intergroup contact and socialisation processes as between- and within-group sources of influence. It takes a multidimensional look into how interculturalism and polyculturalism may be promoted by contact and socialisation processes and uses this synthesis to suggest avenues for future research. 
 

Bio: 

Jasper is a professor at the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology (CESCUP) at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). He completed his doctoral dissertation in 2018 and is the author of over 80 peer-reviewed publications. He is Editor-in-Chief at Journal of Social Psychology Research and Associate Editor of Journal of Social and Political Psychology. He has also received the Belgian Association for Psychological Sciences Best PhD Award 2019 and the "Prix de Psychologie", awarded by the Belgian Royal Academy for best doctoral dissertation in psychological sciences between 2016 and 2018. His research deals with the role of diversity in society, political attitudes, intergroup relations, and prejudice.