Changing In-Group Boundaries: The Effect of Immigration on Race Relations in the United States

Abstract

How do social group boundaries evolve? Does the appearance of a new out-group change the in-group’s perceptions of other out-groups? We introduce a conceptual framework of context-dependent categorization in which exposure to one minority leads to recategorization of other minorities as in- or out-groups depending on perceived distances across groups. We test this framework by studying how Mexican immigration to the United States affected white Americans’ attitudes and behaviors toward Black Americans. We combine survey and crime data with a difference-in-differences design and an instrumental variables strategy. Consistent with the theory, Mexican immigration improves whites’ racial attitudes, increases support for pro-Black government policies, and lowers anti-Black hate crimes while simultaneously increasing prejudice against Hispanics. Results generalize beyond Hispanics and Blacks, and a survey experiment provides direct evidence for recategorization. Our findings imply that changes in the size of one group can affect the entire web of intergroup relations in diverse societies.

Shared Status, Shared Politics? Evaluating a New Pathway to Black Solidarity with Other People of Color

“…This omission matters because Black people have been part of the US since our country's inception and America's hierarchy originally emerged to marginalize and oppress them (alongside indigenous peoples) (Omi & Winant, 1986;Marx, 1998;Zou & Cheryan, 2017). Because of these legacies, Black individuals occupy a unique location in our nation's racial order as an inferior group (similar to Latinos), but a more American minority (unlike Asian and Latino people) (Kim, 2003;Fouka & Tabellini, 2021). While some research suggests that activating Black individuals' sense of being American can lead them to sometimes express less solidarity with people of color who are stereotyped as un-American and foreign (e.g., Asians, Latinos) (Pérez & Kuo, 2021), it remains unclear whether Black individuals will express greater solidarity with PoC if they sense they are similarly discriminated against like other inferior groups (e.g., Latinos, Arab Americans) (Zou & Cheryan, 2017).…”

How one gesture curbed ethnic discrimination

“…Despite legal changes since the 1960s, researchers report substantial levels of discrimination against ethnic and racial minorities that seem to persist over time (Quillian et al, 2017;Zschirnt & Ruedin, 2016) or decline only slowly (Auspurg et al, 2019). Such slow changes, if they occur at all, are consistent with the accounts of ethnic and racial boundaries (Brubaker, 2009;Fouka & Tabellini, 2021;Paluck & Green, 2009;Wimmer, 2008). Through ongoing contestation, the perception of difference may change gradually over time.…”

Demographic Change and Group Boundaries in Germany: The Effect of Projected Demographic Decline on Perceptions of Who Has a Migration Background

“…This begs the question of whether the majority might have responded differently under different circumstances. Indeed, a recent study by Fouka and Tabellini (2021) provides evidence in support of the boundary expansion hypothesis, with the twentieth-century migration of African Americans driving the assimilation of Southern and Eastern European "ethnic" immigrants into the white American mainstream.…”