Racism in Europe: Characteristics and Intersections With Other Social Categories

Abstract

Concerning race and its intertwinements with gender, sexual orientation, class, accents, or ability there is a scarcity of social psychological research in Europe. With an intersectional approach studying racism in Europe it is possible to detect specific experiences of discrimination. The prevalent understanding of European racism is connected to migration from the former colonies to the European metropoles and the post-Second-World-War immigration of ‘guest workers.’ Thus, the focus of this research is on work-related discrimination. Against the background of a short historical review, we present the results of the few existing studies on intersectional discrimination within the labor market in Europe and discuss their implications. The pattern of findings is more complex than the assumption that individuals belonging to two or more marginalized social categories are always the most discriminated ones. Gender, sexual orientation, and origin rather interact with the specific job context. These interactions determine whether minority individuals are discriminated against or even preferred over individuals belonging to the majority group. We argue that considering the stereotype content model and social-identity theory helps to structure the sometimes contradictory results of intersectionality research. Therefore, the review presents new perspectives on racism in Europe based on current research, develops hypotheses on the interplay of intersecting identities, and identifies four novel research questions based on racist attributions considering situational variables: These are the role of concrete job contexts in explaining (no) discrimination, the influence of different stereotypes regarding marginalized groups, the explanatory value of sexual orientation as well as class or socioeconomic-status and age in terms of some patterns of results.

Navigating cultural transitions during resettlement: the case of unaccompanied refugee minors

“…Furthermore, closely linked to the issue of discrimination as well as to class and gender, is the issue of race. Considering that the type of racial discrimination an immigrant experiences depends on an interaction between their different social identities, Ball et al (2022) suggests that an intersectional approach is important to fully understand the complexity of discrimination against minority persons. With this perspective, one might capture the complexity of how racism is intertwined with other forms of discrimination such as gender, age, class, sexual orientation and origin.…”

Not in my group: Protecting group reputation by excluding stereotypical targets

“…This investigation extends previous literature in several important ways. First, it uniquely integrates the literatures on stereotype threat (Chaney et al., 2019; Purdie‐Vaughns et al., 2008; Rees & Boege, 2014; Wooten & Rank‐Christman, 2019), discrimination (Ball et al., 2022; Durante et al., 2017; Jacob et al., 2022; Reutter et al., 2009), cultural psychology (Kemmelmeier et al., 2002; Markus & Kitayama, 1991, 2010), and social categorization (Carpinella et al., 2015; Castano et al., 2002; Chen, Couto et al., 2018; Chen et al., 2019; Leyens & Yzerbyt, 1992; Martinangeli & Martinsson, 2020). Second, while past research on social categorization showed that perceivers tend to exclude ambiguous targets if they receive any negative information about them (Castano et al., 2002; Leyens & Yzerbyt, 1992), our research proposes that the type of negative information about the target matters.…”

Recommendations for Reporting Research About Racial Disparities in Medical and Scientific Journals

“…Racial and ethnic categorizations were used in Europe as far back as the 15th century to justify structurally discriminatory practices, such as the trans-Atlantic slave trade and anti-Semitic laws and policies-a history that continues to impact what race and ethnicity represent today in world regions impacted by European colonialism. 3,4 In the US, racial categorization was codified in 1790 for the first national census, propelled by economic and political forces. 5 At that time, 3 racial categories were named-White, Native American, and Black/ slave.…”

“…Race and ethnicity as dynamic social constructs are global phenomena, with changing definitions that are influenced by sociopolitical, economic, geographic, and cultural drivers. Racial and ethnic categorizations were used in Europe as far back as the 15th century to justify structurally discriminatory practices, such as the trans-Atlantic slave trade and anti-Semitic laws and policies—a history that continues to impact what race and ethnicity represent today in world regions impacted by European colonialism . In the US, racial categorization was codified in 1790 for the first national census, propelled by economic and political forces .…”