Suchergebnisse

Multiculturalism as an ideology to manage culturally diverse societies argues that when cultural group distinctiveness is valued and promoted, positive intergroup relations would ensue (e.g. Modood, 2007; Parekh, 2001). Social psychological research has mainly looked at multiculturalism in terms of its endorsement by majority and minority group members and its implications for intergroup relations and acculturation processes. However, multiculturalism is not only about the maintenance of ethnic identities and cultures but also about the full participation of all ethno-cultural groups in society. This means that (i) individuals have to make sense of how their collective identities (e.g. ethnic, religious, national) come together and (ii) politically, multicultural societies are about equitable participation and hence inclusion, decision-making and power. The dissertation attempted to contribute to the social psychological literature on multiculturalism by looking at intergroup evaluations and also examine multiple identifications and the evaluations of (group) decision-making. The social identity approach provided the main theoretical framework from which to derive predictions. The studies were carried out in an under-researched social context of the nation as a 'fruit salad' (i.e. Mauritius) where multiculturalism is the predominant ideology. Mauritius is often considered as a successful polyethnic society (Eriksen, 2004). Survey data was collected among adolescent participants (age range 11 years to 19 years) of the three main ethnic groups, i.e. Hindus (n = 844), Muslims (n = 630) and Creoles (n = 310). Although the socio-historical context of Mauritius is specific, it provided a real-life equivalence to the theoretical understanding of multiculturalism. The results are thus revealing of the forms that intergroup relations can take when multiculturalism is relatively uncontested. It was found that majority and minority adolescents' attitudes and views on the different measures were functionally similar: ...