ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores common explanatory dimensions structuring ethnic relations between dominant national groups, national minorities and immigrant minorities. It focuses on ethnic stereotypes and on ethnic identification in the Dutch context. The book then demonstrates the crucial impact of education on the development of knowledge, beliefs and attitudes with regard to ethnic diversity among school-aged Hungarian youth. It also explores the various ways in which schooling and media use may affect the formation of anti-immigrant attitudes. The book presents a recent survey of anti-'Gypsy' attitudes in a sample of Hungarian police officers. It also documents the gap between immigrant and host educational and professional careers in Dutch society. The book then provides a balanced discussion of structural and cultural explanatory factors contributing to the dramatic educational disadvantage of Roma youth in Hungarian schools.
