ABSTRACT
I t seems intuitive to assume that intergroup conflicts are based on faulty assumptions and incomplete knowledge about outgroups. Hence, intergroup conflicts are a product of intergroup misunderstandings. However, some intergroup conflicts may be based on intergroup dissent. Consider the following two examples. Two people talk to each other about gender issues: one person from Germany and another from Turkey. The German suggests that in all cultures and religions women and men should have equal rights, but that Turkish men still oppress their women by not allowing their wives, daughters, and sisters to be emancipated. The Turkish person may respond that this is a misunderstanding, because much has improved in recent decades and that people from Turkey now are generally trying to establish equality in gender issues. For instance, several laws have been introduced in Turkey that prohibit honor killings far more explicitly than any other European country. The German person may be astonished and reply that the initial accusation of the Turks may have been based on a misunderstanding and on somewhat outdated information. Thus, once uncovered, misunderstandings have the potential to be reduced through a change of opinion on the one side or the other.
