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SUMMARY:Impact of Diversity on Social Cohesion: Implications of Positive a
 nd Negative Intergroup Contact - Professor Miles Hewstone\, Professor of S
 ocial Psychology\, University of Oxford
DTSTART:20150508T140000Z
DTEND:20150508T153000Z
UID:TALK57776@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Louise White
DESCRIPTION:My talk will challenge the pessimistic view that living in eth
 nically diverse areas is associated with ‘distrust’\, not just of ethn
 ic outgroup\, but also ethnic ingroup\, members. I will challenge this vie
 w\, primarily\, for having failed to include an adequate measure of interg
 roup contact (i.e.\, not just whether people live in ethnically diverse ar
 eas\, but the quantity and quality of interaction they experience with mem
 bers of different ethnic\, religious and other groups). This critique is s
 ubstantiated with recent multi-level data from surveys carried out in neig
 hborhoods and schools varying in diversity. The remainder of my talk prese
 nts an overview of current research – comprising cross-sectional and lon
 gitudinal surveys\, observational studies\, and analysis of social network
 s. I provide evidence for the impact of different kinds of contact (direct
 \, and indirect)\; highlight the value of cross-group friendships\; and co
 nsider the generalized effects of contact from one outgroup to other outgr
 oups. I conclude that a broad approach to conceiving and measuring ‘cont
 act’ is necessary\, and that contact conceived in this manner is crucial
  to understanding the impact of diversity on social cohesion. Threats to t
 he effectiveness of contact do exist\, however\, and these include the phe
 nomenon of ‘re-segregation’ and the experience of negative\, rather th
 an exclusively positive contact. I will conclude by considering the mutual
  impact of both forms of contact and how this approach will help to build 
 stronger social cohesion in multicultural societies.
LOCATION:Ground Floor Lecture Theatre\, Department of Psychology
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