Event: Intergroup Relations and Conflict Prevention: Mixed-methods research and the way forward
Date: Friday, 5 November 2021
Time: 12:00 noon - 13:30
Venue: TBA
Venue: TBA
The Faculty for Social Wellbeing is organising the Dr Jacqueline Azzopardi Memorial Lecture on Friday 5 November 2021 from 12:00 noon to 13:30. The speaker is Luke J. Buhagiar.
Abstract
Intergroup relations remain highly contested. Groups form different representations of other groups in society, which in turn influence the extent to which groups are likely to end up in conflict. This lecture presents three studies focusing on Arab-Maltese relations in Malta. Study 1 involved interviews with Arabs in Malta concerning their views for/against integration as an intercultural strategy. Participants’ arguments varied widely; however, participants were generally for some form of integration, conceptualising it as a difficult but necessary way forward. Study 2 thematically organised various Arab and Maltese views on integration, yielding two quantitative scales for studying intergroup relations in a manner that is culturally and contextually sensitive. One scale asks respondents directly for their views on integration, and the other scale asks respondents about what they think that the other group (‘Arabs’ for the Maltese, and ‘Maltese’ for the Arabs) thinks of integration. Study 3 involved a survey with Maltese and Arab persons living in Malta, wherein participants completed the above-mentioned scales and other relevant measures. Multiple regression analysis showed that what we think that the outgroup thinks predicts what we actually think on a project of common concern (in this case, integration). These findings are discussed in view of broader strategies for ameliorating intergroup relations and preventing intergroup conflict, given the power differentials involved between dominant and non-dominant groups. This lecture frames conflict prevention within a broader focus on good native-migrant relations and migrant wellbeing.