Is the attribution of cultural differences to minorities an expression of racial prejudice?

Abstract

The social psychological literature considers two main perspectives on the study of perceived cultural differences between majorities and minorities: one proposes that perception of cultural differences is an antecedent of prejudice and another states that the attribution of cultural differences to minorities is already a hidden expression of racial prejudice. This paper offers further support to this latter perspective. One hundred and ninety‐four participants answered a questionnaire measuring (1) general racist belief; (2) cultural differences attributed to Black people (hetero‐ethnicization); (3) the asymmetric attribution of secondary and primary emotions to the in‐group and to Black people (infra‐humanization); (4) the asymmetric attribution of natural and cultural traits to in‐group members and to Black people (ontologization); and (5) negative evaluation of this social category. The general racist belief scale was not anchored in a specific group and measured the belief in the inferiority of certain social groups or peoples based on biological or cultural factors. Relationships between the scales were analysed through a set of Structural Equation Models. According to the predictions, results showed that the attribution of cultural differences is a dimension of prejudice. Results also showed that attribution of cultural differences, negative evaluation of Black people, ontologization, and infra‐humanization were different dimensions of a common latent factor that can be identified as racial prejudice; and that prejudice was predicted by general racist belief. Results are discussed in the light of the study of the impact of perceived cultural differences on intergroup relations and in the light of the “new racism” approaches.

Is There a Backlash Against Immigration From Richer Countries? International Hierarchy and the Limits of Group Threat

“…Moreover, it is possible that even genuine agreement with such statements as “immigrants undermine our culture” or “immigrant take our jobs” may simply be post hoc rationalizations of a prejudicial gut feeling (Talaska, Fiske, & Chaiken, ). Accordingly, there is a growing literature that looks at the attribution of group difference (or competition) as an expression of prejudice (Vala, Pereira, & Costa‐Lopes, ) and at the legitimizing role of perceived threat in general (Hartman, Newman, & Bell, ; Pereira, Vala, & Costa‐Lopes, ). Recent experimental evidence has confirmed that “threat perception can be used as a way to explain the experience of prejudice, rather than forming the source of the prejudice itself” (Bahns, , p. 69) and that “[i]f negative feelings for a group already exist, beliefs that the group is threatening are likely to follow” (p. 69).…”

Psychopathy and machiavellianism predict differences in racially motivated attitudes and their affiliations

“…Such across‐the‐board racism is the hallmark of old‐fashioned racism (Virtanen & Huddy, ). Old‐fashioned racism is endorsed by those who believe that Whites and non‐Whites should be separated and that minorities are less intelligent (McConahay et al., ) and even less human (e.g., Vala, Pereira, & Costa‐Lopes, ). Thus, old‐fashioned racism is more closely associated with open discrimination and overt racism (McConahay et al., ).…”

Probing the complexity of intergroup prejudice

“…A third probing concept— hetero‐ethnicization —is advanced by Jorge Vala and his co‐authors (Vala, Pereira, & Costa‐Lopes, 2009 this issue). It refers to the attribution of sharp cultural differences to the the out‐group.…”