The aim of the research programme is to highlight aspects of the processes of social discrimination towards a stigmatised category of people, prostitutes, by administering indirect and innovative measures to young Italian and Spanish adults. We will be focussing on this outgroup as a minority whose profession and lifestyle causes them to attract much stigmatisation (Romero and Quintanilla; 1977; O’Connel Davidson, 1998; Mathieu 2000; 2003) and which has been studied very little in a psychosocial framework. Two experimental studies will thus be carried out. In the first study we will be using an innovative measure of social discrimination towards two sub-categories of women: “girlfriends” and “prostitutes”. These targets could even be perceived as two minority groups since they belong to the female sex. We are particularly interested in identifying the denial of the concept of person, indicating exclusion from the human community, through verbal insults - an everyday occurrence typical of social interactions (Leach, 1964; Semin and Rubini, 1990). The aim of the second study is to investigate discriminatory behaviours (Maass, 1999) through linguistic communication, expressed towards the different roles (prostitute, client, boyfriend and girlfriend) and male-female relationships (prostitute/client and boyfriend/girlfriend). In the first year of the project, both research groups will carry out the first study, concerning the innovative measure of social discrimination towards the prostitute target. The tasks will thus involve setting up the means of investigation, in this case a questionnaire (which will initially be tested in a pilot study), defining the populations concerned with the study, and performing the study itself. During the year, both research groups will conduct seminars, both separately and together, on the themes of the first study, particularly on the phenomena of ontologising and social discrimination. The second year will involve setting up a second study concerning discriminating behaviours in linguistic form. As before, after preparing the means of investigation, each scientific group will collect empirical data in their respective operational contexts and carry out the statistical processing of the data collected. During the year, both research groups will conduct seminars, both separately and together, on the themes of the second study, particularly on intergroup discrimination. At the end of the second year a research report will be drawn up and the first scientific contributions prepared.
AZIONE INTEGRATA ITALIA-SPAGNA (2005-06) Misure innovative della discriminazione sociale verso l’outgroup delle “prostitute”: Italia e Spagna a confronto
RAVENNA, Marcella;RONCARATI, Alessandra;
2005
Abstract
The aim of the research programme is to highlight aspects of the processes of social discrimination towards a stigmatised category of people, prostitutes, by administering indirect and innovative measures to young Italian and Spanish adults. We will be focussing on this outgroup as a minority whose profession and lifestyle causes them to attract much stigmatisation (Romero and Quintanilla; 1977; O’Connel Davidson, 1998; Mathieu 2000; 2003) and which has been studied very little in a psychosocial framework. Two experimental studies will thus be carried out. In the first study we will be using an innovative measure of social discrimination towards two sub-categories of women: “girlfriends” and “prostitutes”. These targets could even be perceived as two minority groups since they belong to the female sex. We are particularly interested in identifying the denial of the concept of person, indicating exclusion from the human community, through verbal insults - an everyday occurrence typical of social interactions (Leach, 1964; Semin and Rubini, 1990). The aim of the second study is to investigate discriminatory behaviours (Maass, 1999) through linguistic communication, expressed towards the different roles (prostitute, client, boyfriend and girlfriend) and male-female relationships (prostitute/client and boyfriend/girlfriend). In the first year of the project, both research groups will carry out the first study, concerning the innovative measure of social discrimination towards the prostitute target. The tasks will thus involve setting up the means of investigation, in this case a questionnaire (which will initially be tested in a pilot study), defining the populations concerned with the study, and performing the study itself. During the year, both research groups will conduct seminars, both separately and together, on the themes of the first study, particularly on the phenomena of ontologising and social discrimination. The second year will involve setting up a second study concerning discriminating behaviours in linguistic form. As before, after preparing the means of investigation, each scientific group will collect empirical data in their respective operational contexts and carry out the statistical processing of the data collected. During the year, both research groups will conduct seminars, both separately and together, on the themes of the second study, particularly on intergroup discrimination. At the end of the second year a research report will be drawn up and the first scientific contributions prepared.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
