The next psychology colloquium is scheduled for Wednesday October 20th at 3:30pm via Zoom. Dr. Salma Mousa from the Department of Political Science of Yale University will be presenting her work titled “Building social cohesion between Christians and Muslims through soccer in post-ISIS Iraq.” We hope that you will join us!
Abstract: Can intergroup contact build social cohesion after war? I randomly assigned Iraqi Christians displaced by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) to an all-Christian soccer team or to a team mixed with Muslims. The intervention improved behaviors toward Muslim peers: Christians with Muslim teammates were more likely to vote for a Muslim (not on their team) to receive a sportsmanship award, register for a mixed team next season, and train with Muslims 6 months after the intervention. The intervention did not substantially affect behaviors in other social contexts, such as patronizing a restaurant in Muslim-dominated Mosul or attending a mixed social event, nor did it yield consistent effects on intergroup attitudes. Although contact can build tolerant behaviors toward peers within an intervention, building broader social cohesion outside of it is more challenging.
Event link for attendees:
https://zoom.us/j/97359844781?pwd=UnZuV1d1bEw1cUJaTVlZVVZ0TFlndz09
Meeting ID: 973 5984 4781
Passcode: 20211021
For more information, contact: Merrisa Lin at merrisa.lin@uconn.edu