SEMINAR: Prof. Dr. Philipp Jugert – White German parents’ racial-ethnic socialization in high and low diversity contexts

Title: White German parents’ racial-ethnic socialization in high and low diversity contexts

Abstract: Parents help children make sense of current society, including in relation to racial-ethnic inequity. The goal of the current studies was to assess white racial-ethnic socialization (RES) in Germany. While ethnic diversity is increasing, it is regionally very unequally distributed. This means that in high-diversity contexts white individuals are becoming numerical minorities whereas in low-diversity contexts white individuals are less used to diversity. While some white individuals may embrace diversity, others may perceive it as a threat. Understanding white parents’ RES in contexts varying in diversity is crucial, as parents play a pivotal role in shaping children’s intergroup attitudes. A total of 39 white, German-born adults from a predominantly white Eastern and a highly diverse Western German city participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings across contexts suggest four different themes in parents’ RES: silence about race, adhering to white normativity, overtly reinforcing racism, and diversity socialization. Although findings differed by context, they also suggest that even in superdiverse contexts, white parents send out ambiguous messages to their children that may help to uphold rather than dismantle racial hierarchies.

Bio: Philipp Jugert studied Psychology in Greifswald and Auckland and completed his PhD on the development of interethnic friendships at the University of Jena. After working as an Assistant Professor at the University of Leipzig, he became Professor of Intercultural Psychology – Migration and Integration at the University of Duisburg-Essen. His research spans Social and Developmental Psychology and focuses on intergroup relations, group processes, and political socialization among children and adolescents.