SEMINAR: Prof. Dr. Anna Kende – Intergroup solidarity for social cohesion and social change

Abstract: Social cohesion requires a sense of solidarity among members of a community which contribute to the overall stability and functionality of society. When solidarity is hampered by societal divisions, it leads to the deterioration of society and democratic institutions. Solidarity is based on the deep rooted universal cultural norm of helping, which we conditionally extend to out-group members. The talk highlights the contextual and complicated distinction between different forms of intergroup solidarity, building on the critique of social psychological research focusing primarily on prejudice reduction among advantaged group members, and on the distinction between social change oriented vs. benevolent (even performative) allyship. Based on survey research conducted in many different countries involving different asymmetrical intergroup relations, the talk highlights that intergroup solidarity can be driven by vastly different motivations and serve different goals, but the distinction between social cohesion and social change focused solidarity is often blurry. We therefore ask whether the difference between them is ideological, in the level of commitment or emerges in connection with different target groups.

Bio: Anna Kende is a professor of Social Psychology and the Director of the Institute of Psychology at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest. Her research focuses on the broad topic of intergroup relations, more specifically, she investigates the psychological underpinnings of social change both in the area of prejudice reduction and engagement in social movements, volunteerism and intergroup solidarity. She has conducted a number of research projects concerning anti-Gypsyism, anti-Semitism, gender relations, and attitudes toward refugees and immigrants, mainly focusing on the region of East-Central Europe. Her work covers both basic and applied research, which she has published in leading international journals. In 2023, she received the Nevitt Sanford Award for Outstanding Professional Contributions to Political Psychology from the International Society of Political Psychology.