Experimental ritual: humanizing immigrants or utilitarian prejudice in Europe?

Abstract

Immigrants and refugees are constantly depicted in dehumanizing ways or as a function of economic gains for the hosting nation. These descriptions, added to the current socio-political European situation, could be dangerous due to infrahumanization levels among minorities who are target of prejudice. In this study, we attempted to reduce infrahumanization levels towards Maghrebian people through a ritualistic collective activity, manipulating the information participants had to use. Results indicate that participation was different among conditions and infrahumanization levels were reduced. Also, participants who used utilitarian information could humanize when an economic gain was perceived, while also increasing prejudice levels. The results are discussed in terms of collective rituals and the dualistic effect of utilitarian information.

This research was supported by the Basque Government and the University of the Basque Country under the name "Culture, Cognition and Emotion" [grant ref: GIC12/91 IT-666-13] and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the name "Culture, Coping and Emotional Regulation: life and collective changes" [grant ref: BES-2015-072263, project ref: PSI2014-51923-P].