The INSENTIVE project (Intergroup coNtact and support for Social changE in advaNTaged and dIsadVantagEd groups) examines how contact between social groups of unequal status influences support for social change and equality, focusing on gender and gender identity/sexual orientation.
It is commonly assumed that intergroup contact reduces prejudice. However, research in Social Psychology has shown that positive contact with a high-status (advantaged) group may reduce members of disadvantaged groups’ motivation to mobilize in support of social change toward equality. Conversely, positive contact with a disadvantaged group may encourage members of advantaged groups to support social change and equality. Thus, intergroup contact between groups of unequal status can have differential effects on support for social change, depending on a group’s relative position within the social hierarchy.
INSENTIVE aims to investigate the effects of intergroup contact on support for social change among both advantaged and disadvantaged groups. To this end, two longitudinal mixed-methods studies will be conducted. In addition, an intervention based on the four-stage model of intergroup dialogue will be designed and implemented. The central research question is: Under what conditions does intergroup contact lead to support for social change among advantaged and disadvantaged groups? This question will be examined in two domains of intergroup inequality, namely gender and gender identity/sexual orientation.
Despite ongoing efforts to safeguard fundamental rights and promote equality for gender and sexual minorities, women and LGBTQI+ individuals continue to experience oppression and inequality rooted in traditional beliefs about gender binarism and heteronormativity. By drawing on and extending the Integrative Contact–Collective Action Model (ICCAM; Hässler et al., 2021) and by applying innovative methodologies, the INSENTIVE project aspires to contribute both theoretically and practically to the study of intergroup contact and collective action, and to advance social equality between genders and sexual minorities in Greece.
INSENTIVE is funded by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation under the 3rd Call for HFRI Research Projects to Support Faculty Members and Researchers (Grant No. 24927).
