Relations between groups, for example those based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, age, ability, and socio-economic status, provide the context for everyday life. Intergroup relations frame the way we define ourselves and others, the way we behave, and the way in which we treat and think about others, and how they treat and think about us. Consider how profoundly affected everyday life is by whether relations between groups are harmonious and peaceful, or conflictual and hostile. Not surprisingly, intergroup relations is an exhilarating core topic in social psychology; a topic which connects social psychology with other social sciences, and which challenges social psychology to marshal and to integrate concepts relating to individual cognition, social interaction, and social history.
This book is a collection of classic and contemporary readings that help to define the social psychological study of intergroup relations. In making the selections, the editors have tried to capture the diversity and complexity of the topic, as well as some of the major controversies, but with an eye for choosing readings that are accessible to and engaging for students and others who are new to the area.