Racism, Nationalism, Ethnicity and Migration

One theme investigates prejudice, nationalism and tolerance in a comparative perspective. Focus lies on how such constructs develop and change over time under different conditions as well as on implications for individuals and society. For instance, we ask:

• What are the effects of having friends who are prejudiced or to grow up with parents who articulate antipathy towards out-groups?
• How do contextual factors influence different groups' experiences of discrimination?
• Do people really become less prejudiced and more tolerant with more education?
   

Another theme involves studies of everyday racism, refugee reception and integration. We are interested in the ways in which race and ethnicity are practiced in everyday settings and how racial and ethnic inequality are structured. This includes questions such as:

• How are racialized structures produced and/or resisted in everyday situations within institutions like the education system, the health care system, or in different places of employment?
• How are perceptions of us and them created in different contexts across time?
• How does the way refugee reception is organized affect refugees’ possibilities to take an active part in society.

A third theme examines different expressions of racism and anti-racism online. Focus lies on how digital media platforms contribute to establishing and upholding group differences, shaping public opinion and mobilizing movements. Examples of questions are:

• What discourses emerge among radical right-wing groups online and how do these discourses spread to mainstream news media?
• What role do the technical design and underlying algorithms of social media platforms play in the spread of racist ideas and anti-racist resistance?