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Intergroup contact and social change: An integrated Contact‐Collective Action Model
Author(s) -
Hässler Tabea,
Uluğ Özden Melis,
Kappmeier Mariska,
Travaglino Giovanni A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/josi.12412
Subject(s) - disadvantaged , social contact , action (physics) , collective action , social psychology , psychology , social change , contact theory , intervention (counseling) , social group , political science , engineering , physics , structural engineering , quantum mechanics , psychiatry , politics , law
Previous research has shown that positive intergroup contact among disadvantaged group members may predict a so‐called sedative effect according to which positive contact is associated with reduced support for social change. Conversely, positive contact is associated with increased support for social change toward equality among advantaged group members. This raises the important question of under which circumstances intergroup contact can encourage support for social change among both disadvantaged and advantaged groups. In this theoretical article, we tackle this question by introducing a new Integrated Contact‐Collective Action Model (ICCAM). We first provide an up‐to‐date review of how intergroup contact may promote or hinder social change for both disadvantaged and advantaged groups. We, then, use ICCAM to examine when the many forms of intergroup contact promote or hinder support for social change, proposing the existence of two different paths for disadvantaged and advantaged group members. Finally, we discuss the implications of the model for social intervention and make policy recommendations stemming from a review of available evidence.