Beyond Prejudice as Antipathy: Understanding kinder, gentler forms of discrimination

Dixon, John and Langdridge, Darren (2022). Beyond Prejudice as Antipathy: Understanding kinder, gentler forms of discrimination. In: Tileagă, Cristian; Augoustinos, Martha and Durrheim, Kevin eds. The Routledge International Handbook of Discrimination, Prejudice and Stereotyping. London: Routledge, pp. 213–230.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429274558-15

Abstract

Classic definitions of prejudice treat antipathy as its emotional and cognitive hallmark. Many of the key questions of the field have flowed from this starting point. Why don’t we like one another? Why do we ascribe negative stereotypes to others? How can we be persuaded to like one another more and stereotype one another less? We do not dispute that these are central questions to the field. Our chapter nevertheless highlights some limitations of reducing prejudice to negative evaluation. Discriminatory intergroup relations, we argue, are characterised by attitudinal complexity rather than ‘unalloyed antipathy’. Warmth, inclusion and positive stereotyping often intertwine with antipathy, exclusion and negative stereotyping. Developing this idea, the chapter presents some critical alternatives to, or elaborations of, the traditional concept of prejudice. To do so, we draw on developments in work on ambivalent sexism, benevolent heterosexism, positive and complementary stereotyping, intergroup helping behaviour, and intergroup contact.

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