Beyond Muslim identity: Opinion-based groups in the Gezi Park protest

Media depicted Turkish Gezi Park protests as a clash between secularists and Islamists within a majority-Muslim country. Extending a social identity approach to protests, this study aims (a) to distinguish the protest participants in terms of their opinion-based group memberships, (b) to investigate how their religious identification and their group membership were associated with democratic attitudes. Six hundred and fifty highly educated urban young adult participants were surveyed during the protest. Latent class analysis of participants’ political concerns and online and offline actions yielded four distinct opinion-based groups labeled “liberals,” “secularists,” “moderates,” and “conservatives.” Looking at the intersection of the participants’ group identities with their Muslim identification, we observed that the higher conservatives’ and moderates’ religious identification, the less they endorsed democratic attitudes, whereas religious identification made little or no difference in liberals’ and secularists’ democratic attitudes. Our findings of distinct groups among protest participants in a majority-Muslim country challenge an essentialist understanding of religion as a homogeneous social identity.status: publishe

Looking at women's poverty in poor households

Cataloged from PDF version of article.This thesis analyzes the internal dynamics of women’s poverty, and how women experience and cope with poverty in poor households. It mainly deals with two points, one regarding the conceptualization of women’s poverty as content and context, and the other regarding the method of investigation. As for the former, women’s poverty is defined as unequal access to resources (social as well as material), responsibilities (particularly the ones that exceed domestic borders) and power (defined as power to do something on one’s own) within the household. The thesis employs a “household perspective,” that is, women’s poverty has been contextualized within the internal dynamics of household. Sectarian differences, employment, support system and family structure are defined as four dimensions that affect women’s poverty through enabling or disabling women’s subordination. These are investigated by drawing upon a field study, which was conducted with 24 women iv in poor households in Ankara, Turkey. As for the method, how women experience and cope with poverty is presented through women’s own perceptions and opinions, and by the woman’s perspective, namely through the gender lens. This perspective also helps to reveal women’s active agency in poor households. Keywords: Women’s poverty, Survival strategies, Active agency, Poverty experienced, Internal household dynamics, Intrahousehold resource allocation, Alevi/Sunni.Baysu, GülseliM.S

Minority adolescents in ethnically diverse schools: perceptions of equal treatment buffer threat effects

Can perceptions of equal treatment buffer the negative effects of threat on the school success of minority students? Focusing on minority adolescents from Turkish and Moroccan heritage in Belgium (M_age = 14.5; N = 735 in 47 ethnically diverse schools), multilevel mediated moderation analyses showed: (1) Perceived discrimination at school predicted lower test performance; (2) Experimentally-manipulated stereotype threat decreased performance (mediated by increased disengagement); (3) Perceived equal treatment at school predicted higher performance (mediated by decreased disengagement); and (4) Personal and peer perceptions of equal treatment buffered negative effects of discrimination and stereotype threat. Thus,(situational) stereotype threat and perceived discrimination at school both undermine minority student success, whereas perceived equal treatment can provide a buffer against such threats

Acculturation and suicidal ideation among Turkish migrants in the Netherlands.

More suicidal ideation and higher rates of attempted suicide are found in Turkish people when compared with the general population in Europe. Acculturation processes and related distress may explain an elevated risk of suicide. The current study investigates the association between acculturation and suicidal ideation among Turkish migrants in the Netherlands. The mediating effect of hopelessness and moderating effect of secure attachment are also examined. A total of 185 Turkish migrants living in the Netherlands were recruited through social media and through liaison with community groups. They completed an online survey including validated measures of suicidal ideation, hopelessness, acculturation and attachment style. Mediation and moderation analyses were tested using bootstrapping. Higher participation was associated with less hopelessness and less suicidal ideation. Greater maintenance of one's ethnic culture was associated with higher hopelessness and higher suicidal ideation. Greater participation was associated with less suicidal ideation particularly amongst those with less secure attachment styles. Turkish migrants who participate in the host culture may have a lower risk of developing suicidal thinking. Participation may protect against suicidal thinking, particularly among those with less secure attachment styles

Confidence in Contact: A New Perspective on Promoting Cross-Group Friendship Among Children and Adolescents

Intergroup contact theory (Allport, 1954) proposes that positive interactions between members of different social groups can improve intergroup relations. Contact should be especially effective in schools, where opportunities may exist to engage cooperatively with peers from different backgrounds and develop cross-group friendships. In turn, these friendships have numerous benefits for intergroup relations. However, there is evidence that children do not always engage in cross-group friendships, often choosing to spend time with same-group peers, even in diverse settings. We argue that in order to capitalise on the potential impact of contact in schools for promoting harmonious intergroup relations, a new model is needed that places confidence in contact at its heart. We present an empirically-driven theoretical model of intergroup contact that outlines the conditions that help to make young people ‘contact ready’, preparing them for successful, sustained intergroup relationships by giving them the confidence that they can engage in contact successfully. After evaluating the traditional approach to intergroup contact in schools, we present our theoretical model which outlines predictors of cross-group friendships that enhance confidence in and readiness for contact. We then discuss theory-driven, empirically tested interventions that could potentially promote confidence in contact. Finally, we make specific recommendations for practitioners and policy makers striving to promote harmonious intergroup relations in the classroom

Equity and Justice in Developmental Science: Discrimination, Social Exclusion, and Intergroup Attitudes

In this article, the authors assert that (a) the topics of equity and justice reflect important areas of developmental science theory and research which have not yet been recognized as central areas of research in child development and developmental science, (b) a concern for social inequalities serves as a common thread binding equity and justice research across different areas in developmental science, and (c) equity and justice research can inform policies and practices that are designed to improve the lives of all children (including those who are members of stigmatized groups) reduce prejudice and bias, and create programs to rectify social inequalities. For this special section of Child Development, the authors provide the context for this research, and highlight the articles in this special section to demonstrate cutting-edge research in developmental science regarding equity and justice. The authors review current research and make recommendations for new lines of inquiry