Minority Rapport: INTER-MINority relations in Western Europe

Objective

21st century Western Europe is clearly a region of immigration. Scholars of social cohesion have extensively examined relations between ethnic majorities and immigrant-origin ethnic minorities. However, as minorities in Western Europe are getting larger, more diverse, and more established, it is of crucial importance to understand their attitudes and behaviours toward each other. Yet, research on such inter-minority relations is surprisingly scarce. This is worrisome in the light of tensions between some minorities in Western Europe, such as Turks and Kurds, Indians and Pakistanis, and Jews and Arabs. The overarching goal of INTER-MIN is to take a broader perspective on social cohesion in Europe and offer a first systematic investigation of inter-minority relations. Specific objectives are to 1) map inter-minority relations across ethnic groups in Western Europe, 2) identify the profile of individuals who are susceptible to inter-minority tensions, 3) reveal the underlying social-psychological mechanisms that explain inter-minority relations, and 4) provide tools for improving inter-minority relations. We propose an innovative theoretical framework that considers the role of minority group dyad (characteristics specific to each combination of two minorities) next to that of the individual, one’s ethnic group and host society, and includes objective dyad characteristics (e.g. same religion) as well as perceptions (e.g. perceived cultural similarity). This calls for an approach that is comparative (covering multiple minorities in different national settings), interdisciplinary (combining sociology and social psychology), and mixed-method. We will administer surveys and vignette experiments among large minority samples in the Netherlands, UK, and Germany–countries with diverse minority populations–and conduct follow-up focus groups for deeper insights on relations between minorities. Our findings will pave avenues for creating a more cohesive ethnically diverse Europe.