Empowerment of intergroup harmony and equity

Bigazzi, Sara and Serdült, Sára and Bokrétás, Ildikó (2019) Empowerment of intergroup harmony and equity. In: Children and Peace. From Research to Action. Peace Psychology Book Series . SPRINGER NATURE. ISBN 978-3-030-22175-1 (In Press)

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Abstract

The impact of empowerment interventions is often short-lived because they are not anchored in changes in the wider social and structural context. This chapter draws its inspiration from social representation theory and social identity theory. Several theoretical propositions are derived from these theories that bear on the effectiveness of empowerment interventions. Drawing on field experiences with Roma communities and young unemployed people in Hungary and Italy, we demonstrate how a focus on intergroup interactions, between minority and majority group members, is central to the empowerment process. In addition, we address the role of power and the means by which power can be dissembled and more equitably shared. Finally, we discuss the importance of placing contextual factors at the center of our analysis and enacting changes in context in order to arrive at empowerment interventions that produce sustainable changes in intergroup harmony and equity.

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