Minority versus Majority : a New Paradigm of Intergroup Conflict

Abstract

Living in an ethnically and culturally heterogeneous social setting has been a prime subject for a variety of social science disciplines. This dissertation adds to the discussion by addressing the dynamics of conflict between minorities and majorities from a novel theoretical perspective. More precisely, it tackles the question of majorities discriminating against minorities by situating the question in the Structural Goal/Expectation Theory (sGET) approach. Rather than rely on identity or attitude, sGET argues for an evolutionary view of human intergroup behaviour in which, crucially, the incentive structures inherent to the situation and the interpersonal interaction between the actors can be directly linked to behaviour. To test this approach, four studies have been conducted and are presented in this work. These studies show that the dilemma which comes with managing common resources, is a crucial component to understanding minority discrimination in heterogeneous societies.