The Political Psychology of Race

Chapter 8 focuses on the political psychology of race. Understanding racial divisions and conflicts requires us to go beyond explanations that rely upon competition for resources as causes of these conflicts. From the political psychological perspective, we can understand the intransigence of group conflict as the result of the continual human drive to form in-groups and out-groups, and to compare one’s group with others. Political psychology enables us to understand how racial (and ethnic) groups can live together harmoniously for years, then erupt in horrific internecine violence, and it turns our attention to the ways in which issues are framed to produce particular anxieties in the minds of citizens. We then look at case studies of race and politics in the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.