Ethnic Stereotypes Research Articles

Effect of ethnic stereotype threat on academic performance: Experimental evidence from rural China

Ethnic stereotype threat is a feeling of being at risk of perceiving a negative stereotype about one's ethnicity. Conducting a lab-in-the-field experiment at 126 rural primary schools in northwest China with a sample of 10,431 students from grade 4 and grade 5, this paper examines the effects of ethnic stereotype threat on students' academic performance. We find that stereotype threat improved minority students' English test scores and had no effect on Han students. Investigations for underlying mechanisms show that stereotype threat improves the ethnic pride of minority students, further improving their English test scores. Heterogeneous analysis shows that the positive effects of stereotype threat on English performance are more evident for minority students whose English teachers are from Han, and also more evident for minority students whose best friends of different ethnicities have higher grades than them. This study provides evidence to support the benefits of inter-ethnic communication and integration among multi-ethnic settings at school.

Ethnic stereotypes and prejudices of modern Russian youth

The article examines the theoretical foundations of the analysis of ethnic stereotypes and prejudices that have developed in modern sociological and socio-psychological science. The patterns of this phenomenon characteristic of modern society are highlighted. The results of the authors’ own empirical study of ethnic stereotypes and prejudices of modern Russian youth are presented that made it possible to identify the regional specificity of the manifestation of this phenomenon among Perm youth and to compared it with the Moscow youth. The specificity was identified according to behavioural (behaviour in the process of interethnic conflict; existence of interpersonal relationships with representatives of another ethnic group; orientation towards a certain type of relationship with representatives of another ethnic group), cognitive (knowledge about representatives of their own and other ethnic groups; trust in services provided by representatives of different ethnic groups and by migrants; trust in representatives of different ethnic groups) and emotional parameters (emotional attitude to the culture and traditions of another ethnic group; emotional attitude to interethnic conflict). The main factors influencing the formation of ethnic stereotypes and prejudices among Perm and Moscow youth are clarified. These results can be used for further study of regional characteristics of interethnic relations and ethnic stereotypes, prejudices, their dynamics and effective interaction of ethnophors as well as to optimise the process of interethnic relations.

A Romani woman in Eurovision: ethnic and gender stereotypes in the reception of Remedios Amaya (1983)

ABSTRACT Remedios Amaya was the first Roma woman to represent Spain at the Eurovision Song Contest. Chosen because of her ethnicity, Amaya’s Romani heritage was meant to commemorate the Samudaripen/Porajmos (Romani Holocaust) in the year Munich hosted Eurovision (1983). Despite efforts to foster an image of modernization and progressive values, the hostile reception that followed her performance being awarded zero points contributed to the perpetuation of various stereotypes of Romani women. Analyzing press reviews of Europe’s most popular music program, my aim is to explore the perceptions of non-Roma commentators with regard to the selection and reception of a Romani singer as Spain’s representative. Looking at reception studies and stardom, this article will analyze the intersection of ethnic and gender stereotypes in relation to a female Roma artist during the early years of Spanish democracy. It will explore the hypersexualization and exoticization of Amaya’s TV performance, which revived the image of the Gitana, a trope that under Franco embodied the image of an idealized Spain. Widely exploited by the tourist industry, Roma culture (or more precisely, the naturalization of certain stereotypes assigned to Gitanos) was blamed for reviving the association with the recent dictatorship, thus displaying the persistence of Spain’s unresolved past and ambivalent cultural identity that still destabilizes Spaniards with regards to their status in Europe.

Ethnic othering in Nigeria’s electoral discourse: the need for intercultural competence

ABSTRACT This study examines online ethnic othering during Nigeria's 2023 general elections. The study employs a critical discourse analytic (CDA) framework and utilises a corpus of 7678 Facebook comments from Nigerians. The analysis reveals that individuals from the Yoruba ethnic group stereotype the Igbo people by questioning their legitimacy and voting rights as residents in Yoruba lands, especially Lagos. This stereotype is perpetuated through the legitimation strategy of historicising ethnic politics, which justifies ethnic prejudices. The study concludes with a call for intercultural competence, which is crucial in promoting respect for diversity, human rights, and inter-ethnic differences.

Diverse Yet Biased: Towards Mitigating Biases in Generative AI (Student Abstract)

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has garnered significant attention for its remarkable ability to generate text, images, and other forms of content. However, an inherent and increasingly concerning issue within generative AI systems is bias. These AI models often exhibit an Anglo-centric bias and tend to overlook the importance of diversity. This can be attributed to their training on extensive datasets sourced from the internet, which inevitably inherit the biases present in those data sources. Employing these datasets leads to AI-generated content that mirrors and perpetuates existing biases, encompassing various aspects such as gender, ethnic and cultural stereotypes. Addressing bias in generative AI is a complex challenge that necessitates substantial efforts. In order to tackle this issue, we propose a methodology for constructing moderately sized datasets with a social inclination. These datasets can be employed to rectify existing imbalances in datasets or to train models to generate socially inclusive material. Additionally, we present preliminary findings derived from training our model on these socially inclined datasets.

“Like Being in Purgatory”: Cultural Identity Mapping Centers Hmong American Experiences of Biculturalism

This study examines what it means to be bicultural to Hmong American emerging adults living in central California. Twenty-four participants ( Mage = 21.92 years) constructed a cultural identity map that portrayed what it means to them to be “Hmong American,” described both their cultural identity map content and their process of constructing it, and completed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM). Grounded theory analysis of cultural identity maps and accompanying conversations reveals the pervasiveness of bifurcated biculturalism, or the experience of having split selves. For participants in this study, perceived cultural incompatibility between Hmong and American cultures rendered it necessary to possess two (and sometimes more) distinct cultural identities, and required—for some, almost constant—frame-switching to manage these identities. This article offers an in-depth portrait of three illustrative cases, which represent diversity in terms of gender, social class, and MEIM score. Altogether, findings contribute to scientific understanding of the complex and contradictory nature of biculturalism for Hmong American emerging adults, and speak to the link between ethnic stereotypes and bicultural identity development. Methodologically, this study highlights the utility of identity mapping to examine psychological experiences of biculturalism and other aspects of identity about which people may have hidden, complex, and potentially contradictory stances.

Interethnic Contacts in Yugra and Christmas Stories of the Turn of the 19th – 20th Centuries

Ethnic stereotypes largely determine the actions of an individual during his contacts with strangers – representatives of a different culture. At the same time, these actions, like stereotypes, are not permanent. The objective of the paper is to study the evolution of the attitude to the Yugra aborigines at the turn of the 19th – 20th centuries. To achieve it, it is necessary to address the local sociocultural realities. Information about them is reflected in various historical and ethnographic sources, which, in particular, can include some works of fiction. A special place belongs to the genre of Christmas (Yuletide) stories, which specifics are usually studied by literary scholars. At the same time, provincial literature often contains information about the perception of aborigines by the Russian population. The specifics of the study required the use of an interdisciplinary approach, in which the theoretical developments of literary criticism complement historical and ethnographic methods. The results obtained indicate an ambivalent attitude to interethnic contacts with the peoples of the North in Russian culture. Images of the aborigines were associated with potential threats from another world. And, at the same time, they acted as victims of deception, violence and rejection by bearers of genuine Christian virtues. In addition, there was a noticeable difference in value judgments between folk and official culture. Folk culture tended towards stability, repetition and cyclical nature. On the contrary, the official culture with its European rationalism, was oriented towards the values of progress. Christmas stories by peripheral writers complemented by ethnic flavor were the evidence of something new in the public consciousness. At the regional level, the importance of interethnic communication and ethnic tolerance increased. The disparate components of Russian culture gradually came closer together, although these processes were not yet completed. Only further consideration of literary tests can help in understanding the contradictions of the past.

The USSR State Leader in the U.S. Superhero Comic Strips in the 1980s: Constructing and Broadcasting Stereotypes About “Russians” in the Historical Context of the Cold War

Introduction. There has been a rich tradition of using stereotypes and cliches of Russians in U.S. comic strips since the 1940s. Russian characters represent statehood, cultural dominants, and ethnic stereotypes. They convey the political agenda and civic values and demonstrate reactions to historical cataclysms. The leaders of the USSR represent the state as a political system in comic strips. In the 1980s, the interpretation of the “Russian threat” changed significantly, as did the methods of representing the General Secretary of the Soviet Union. Methods and materials. The article is based on the principles of historicism. The analysis was carried out using a set of methods: descriptive, elements of discourse analysis, and semiotic tools. The work used a range of sources, among which the most important were the issues of graphic comic strips regulating censorship documents and visual representations of Russians. Analysis. The author analyzed the dramaturgy of the 1986–1989 comic strips about the “Russian threat,” in which Mikhail Gorbachev appears. The key motifs that made up the image were identified, an iconological analysis was performed, and the speech characteristics of the protagonists and antagonists of superheroics were analyzed. The dynamics of the image of the leader of the USSR in superhero comic strips were determined by the transition from a caricature image to a Machiavellian ruler of the “Evil Empire,” ready, among other things, to collaborate with the United States. Results. From the point of view of iconography, a number of techniques for depicting Mikhail Gorbachev in comic strips correlate with the techniques of representation of Ronald Reagan. In some comic strips, the strategic superiority of the leader of the USSR over American superheroes is indirectly emphasized. The appearance of realistic features in the image of Gorbachev makes it possible to talk about the expansion of cultural ties between the USSR and the United States, a well-known social demand of the target audience, completely dissatisfied with the stereotypical images of the leaders of the USSR and the country itself.

‘Dutch’ according to children and mothers: Nationality stereotypes and citizenship representation

AbstractThis research examines the endorsement of the nationality stereotype Dutch = White among children and associations with citizenship representations of their mothers (Study 1). Additionally, Study 2 explores how mothers include the concept of Dutch citizenship in the upbringing of their children. Study 1 shows that children (n = 197, 57% girls, 7–13 years old) from different ethnic‐racial backgrounds (White Dutch, Turkish‐Dutch, Black Dutch, Chinese‐Dutch) all endorsed the nationality stereotype and did so to a similar extent. Most mothers rated civic citizenship as more important than ethnic citizenship, but maternal citizenship representations were unrelated to child nationality stereotype. Study 2 shows that mothers often do not actively and consciously include the topic of Dutch citizenship in their upbringing, but might confirm the nationality stereotype in more implicit ways. Future studies are needed to examine how to work towards a more inclusive view of nationality among children in the Dutch context.

Образ «чужого» в инфраструктуре российского города (на примере Челябинской области)

The article aims to identify the criteria of the "image" of a migrant and "migrant" infrastructure, to describe the problems of interethnic relations, integration of migrants from Central Asia in a Russian city (using the examples of cities in Chelyabinsk region). The author relies on 540 interviews with the local population of six cities of the region (Chelyabinsk, Kopeysk, Magnitogorsk, Miass, Zlatoust, Troitsk), as well as the results of observations, content analysis of mass media and Internet resources. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics revealed in the course of the research allowed us to characterise the image of the "alien", the structure of urban space in the dichotomy "native"-"alien", to identify the problems of interethnic relations, to describe which objects are given the status of "migrant" and through what markers this happens. Particular attention is paid to the image of the "alien" in the media and various Internet resources, which largely shape public attitudes towards migrants and where the latter are most often endowed with negative characteristics (settling by large families and thus "taking over" entire city districts, illegally occupying jobs and entire spheres of the regional economy). It is concluded that the image of the "alien" and "migrant" infrastructure in the media is formed under the influence of national, ethnic and class stereotyping, a limited set of life contexts, impersonality and passivity of migrants. It was revealed that a significant part of negative attitudes of the local population towards migrants is projected onto quite specific objects of urban infrastructure (markets, educational and medical institutions, "dangerous" neighbourhoods, etc.) and the spheres of activity (shuttle buses, trade, construction, etc.).

Humorous but hateful

Abstract The paper explores the interplay of impoliteness, ethnic/religious humor and multimodality in online contexts. The argument advanced in the paper is that anti-Muslim memes are instantiations of ethno-religious humor that creatively incorporate linguistic impoliteness and visual dysphemism in manners that potentially propagate Islamophobia online. The analysis of a specialized corpus of memes suggests that multimodal impoliteness in these memes is mainly triggered by marked implicitness, reinforced by visual reference to targets. The humor-generating incongruity in these memes is often based on the anomalous juxtaposition of verbal and visual cues expressing ethnic and religious stereotypes, in ways that make the values expressed in these stereotypes easily acceptable. Such multimodal impoliteness creatively incorporates entertainment with emotional coercion, aiming at like-minded participants in the potential presence of targets. This constitutes a form of plausibly deniable incitement, meant to instigate attitude change and intimidate the victims, which consequently blurs the conceptual distinction between jocular abuse, impoliteness and hate speech.

Flipping the Colonialist Paradigm: Grigorii Chkhartishvili’s Akunin

AbstractThis essay examines how the Erast Fandorin series by Boris Akunin (Grigorii Chkhartishvili) employs, revises, and deconstructs the Orientalist paradigm through the portrayal of Masa, the detective’s Japanese sidekick. At first glance, Masa appears to embody Orientalist clichés through allusions to a familiar ethnic stereotype. But the Fandorin series does more than activate the preconceived role of a Russian hero’s Asian valet: in reformulating the detective story narrative, Akunin introduces both Orientalist and Occidentalist perspectives and ultimately reconfigures the master‐servant structure as something similar to a Confucian, father‐son relationship. Despite the stereotypical ethnic image reproduced in the series, Masa’s representation is divorced from the colonizing agenda that is fundamental to Orientalist discourse. After appearing at first as a Colonialist sign, Masa’s depiction turns out to be a pastiche without the implied referent whose trajectory in the cycle traces choices made by Akunin (and ultimately Chkhartishvili). While the author first and foremost pursues entertainment, as the series progresses, he exhibits signs of postcolonial political awareness by flipping and deconstructing the quasi‐Orientalist mode. As a result, the initial division between the implicit perspectives of the fictional and nonfictional authors turns into an alignment of the two.

Mengintegrasikan Pendidikan Multikultural dalam Upaya Resolusi Konflik Etnis

This research elucidates the crucial role of education in addressing ethnic conflicts through the integration of a multicultural approach into the curriculum and learning processes. It is a literature review analyzing scholarly articles, books, and previous research related to efforts to integrate multicultural education for achieving ethnic conflict resolution. The findings reveal several key aspects: cultural identity awareness, inclusive learning, intercultural dialogue, and education for social justice. Firstly, multicultural education aids in understanding and appreciating cultural identities, reducing ethnic stereotypes. Secondly, inclusive curriculum ensures equal representation for various ethnic groups. Thirdly, intercultural dialogue promotes communication and understanding among ethnic groups. Fourthly, multicultural education aims to create a fair and equal environment, minimizing inequalities that may trigger conflicts. In conclusion, integrating multicultural education into ethnic conflict resolution is vital for creating a harmonious and peaceful society. The significance of cultural identity awareness, inclusive learning, intercultural dialogue, and social justice underscores the essential steps toward achieving these goals. Implementing this approach in the education system can positively contribute to reducing ethnic conflicts and promoting peace at the local, national, and global levels.

Przemiany stereotypu Niemca wśród studentów kognitywistyki

The following paper concentrates on demonstrating the evolution of one of national stereotypes – the stereotype of a German. For this purpose, surveys conducted among the academic community – students of cognitivistics at the Pedagogical University of Cracow – were investigated. On the basis of that research it was possible to indicate both positive and negative character traits of a typical German.

The Concept Of Education Management In The Post-Conflict Regions Of West Kalimantan: A Study Of Ibn Khaldun’s Thought

This article discusses the management of education in schools in the thought of Ibn Khaldun. The approach used in this study is qualitative, and the type of research is literature research. This research combines data collection techniques with document studies so that data in the form of journals and books related to Ibn Khaldun are used as primary sources in this study and refer to the work of Ibn Khaldun. The data used relates to Ibn Khaldun’s thoughts on Islamic education management. This research shows that, at least in the implementation of education management in schools, four aspects are mutually integrated: educators, students, learning materials, and learning methods. Ibn Khaldun’s perspective on educational management can be applied to educational institutions such as the Madrasah in West Kalimantan. Moreover, educational practices in West Kalimantan are still unable to overcome problems, especially in building an atmosphere of peace between students, both ethnic and religious. Educators in Madrasah, especially in West Kalimantan, can integrate learning materials with tolerance and student backgrounds without raising ethnic or religious stereotypes. The learning method can be done by understanding the material and mapping the material that can be related to building peace in West Kalimantan.

An Awkward Predicament: “The German Man” and Feminized Modernity in the 1840s

AbstractThis article examines self-disparaging representations of “the German man” in humorous middle-class visual and textual publications of the 1840s. Considering contemporary notions of German national character and the emergence of contradictory masculine ideals, the analysis traces the dual representation of the German man as either an emasculated philistine or a hypermasculine quixotic hero. Based on this analysis, it argues that just as a German national movement was acquiring unprecedented political potency, a highly gendered sense of German national ineptness was widespread among the German bourgeoisie. Both the philistine and the quixotic German were cast as inadequate in the face of a corruptive, feminized modernity that was unfairly advantageous to the French. These findings underscore how gender and national stereotypes in nineteenth-century Germany were mutually destabilizing and repeatedly negotiated, profoundly shaping contemporaries’ understanding of the world changing around them.

ГЕНЕЗИС РОССИЙСКОЙ ЖУРНАЛИСТИКИ И НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЕ СТЕРЕОТИПЫ ВОСПРИЯТИЯ

This article presents an overview of the formation of certain national stereotypes that have developed as a result of historical development. Journalism and the media have played a decisive role in this process. The article presents a retrospective analysis of Russian journalism using the example of the creation of the popular and beloved magazine “Murzilka”. The article examines and analyzes the period from the October Revolution to 1991. The language of the press of the Soviet period was very restrained, monotonous. Journalists with an individual style and artistic edge to their publications were worth their weight in gold. Further, a mixture of two newspeaks prevails in newspapers: the language of the previous era, heavily diluted with Anglicisms.

Over the barriers: the transformation of linguistic stereotypes in the multicultural environment of the Western Region and neighboring regions in the 1920s – 1930s

The article is devoted to the analysis of the linguistic situation on the ethnocultural borderland, which in the 1920s and 1930s turned out to be the territory of the Smolensk Province and (since 1929) the Western Region of the USSR, which included territories that previously belonged to the Smolensk, Bryansk, Kaluga and Tver provinces. This region, bordering Belarus to the west, has always been distinguished by a variety of ethnic, confessional and cultural traditions. The article examines the ethnic and language stereotypes that existed in the Russian-Belarusian-Polish environment, their transformation under the influence of state policies (change of administrative borders, processes of Russification, Belarusization); the situation with the Yiddish language that developed in the western parts of Smolensk region and in eastern Belarus deserves special attention. For the population of the border regions, language is the most important ethnocultural marker and a way of (self)identification, which is reflected in popular ideas about the different status of different languages, in the choice of the language of communication and education, in interlanguage interaction (lexical borrowings). In the chronological period under consideration, the self-reflection by various groups, expressed in the form of statements and narratives about their own and the “others” language, became the object of attention of Communist party and state security organizations, which was reflected in the secret documents of the relevant institutions and organizations. The article is based on materials from the State Archive of the Smolensk Region and the State Archive of the Modern History of the Smolensk Region, reflecting various aspects of linguistic, ethnic and confessional interaction between representatives of various ethnocultural traditions in the territory of the Smolensk Province and the Western region of the USSR.

БОРЩ ЯК ФОЛЬКЛОРНИЙ НАРАТИВ, АБО ЧОМУ БОРЩ - УКРАЇНСЬКИЙ

Background. Investigated here are historical data on the most earliest mentions of the recipe and technology of preparing borshch as a culinary dish and as a cultural narrative which retransmits information about mythological representations, ritual practices, festive customs and everyday standards of the ethno-subject. The object of the article is different folklore genres and some units of russian-language content, data from folklore expeditions, as well as information, learned by the authors of the article through direct transmission. Methods. The use of system-categorical and structural-semiotic approaches made it possible to analyze the syncretic folklore text "borshch" as a certain model of ethnic stereotypes and social standards. The comparative method was applied when comparing Ukrainian and russian folklore genres. Results. Research attention is focused on finding out the cognitive characteristics of the folklore narrative "borshch" through the identification of its functional and semantic parameters. Conclusions. Contextual data, among which gender stratification, time continuum, method of preparation and consumption, give a possibility to show the ritual semantics or the physiological pragmatics of the traditional Ukrainian dish. The information obtained from all ethnographic regions of Ukraine proves the nationwide nature of the cultural phenomenon "borshch" in its variety, formed historically. "Lexical" variability is expressed in the replacement of ingredients with their counterparts ("synonyms"), which does not affect the constancy of the general content of the narrative. Content variability, which indicates certain worldview changes, is associated with the narration of the texts of everyday life or different celebrations. As the folk ritual cycle has been partially desacralized, narrators do not always connect the tradition of cooking and eating borshch with the ancient custom of sacrifice. The publication is somewhat polemical in nature, as it is aimed at refuting the unjustified encroachments of the aggressor country on the autochthonous cultural text of the Ukrainians, as confirmed by UNESCO.

ОТЭТНОНИМИЧЕСКИЕ ПРОЗВИЩА В ГОВОРАХ РУССКОГО СЕВЕРА

The article analyzes individual nicknames formed from ethnonyms — names of peoples and ethnic communities. It is based on the materials of the Toponymic expedition collected on the territory of the Arkhangelsk, Vologda and Kostroma regions; most of the lexical facts are introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The region called the Russian North is multiethnic, therefore, special attention is paid to the reflection of the ethnic composition of the territory in the nickname anthroponymy. The author identifies ethnonyms used as individual nicknames (the names of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North — chud’ (chukhna, chukhar’), zyr’ (zyryane), lop’ (lopari), cheremisy, korela, as well as kayvany; the names of the peoples mainly living in territories remote from the Russian North — Chinese, Japanese, Germans, Belarusians, Tatars, Greeks, etc.). Connotatively loaded ethnonyms — Gypsies and Jews — are considered separately. Motivational models implemented in ethnonymic nicknames are analyzed, based on the reasons given by informants for giving a person a specific nickname (ethnicity, contacts with a representative of a “foreign” ethnic group, participation in armed conflicts, character traits, etc.). The role of ethnic stereotypes in nickname anthroponymy is discussed. In conclusion, assumptions are made about the frequency of a number of anthroponyms in the nickname nomination, and the most productive models of the formation of ethnonymic nicknames are highlighted. Possible reasons for the formation of the ethnic diversity of anthroponyms are also considered (in total, more than 30 ethnonyms are used as individual nicknames).