Together with Tobias Stark, Hanno Kruse, and Sebastian Pink I am offering a session on the causes of segregation and intergroup relations in social networks at the XXXVIII Sunbelt conference. The conference will be held in Utrecht and take place June 26 to July 1, 2018.
If you’re interested in presenting, please submit your abstract until February 1. Our call follows below.
Intergroup Relations in Social Networks: Causes of Segregation
More and more researchers use social network analysis to study intergroup relations. Various methods, including ego-centered, cross-sectional (ERGM), and longitudinal (SAOM) network analyses show that friendship networks are segregated along ethnic, cultural and religious lines. However, research has only begun to exploit the potential of social network analysis for understanding the causes and processes leading to segregation. Even fewer studies exist on interventions that aim to reduce segregation and promote positive intergroup relations. This is partially due to theoretical and methodological challenges that are specific to the network approach. For instance, people may identify with multiple groups, intergroup contact preferences contact may vary between groups, and members of multiple groups in a network have to be modelled at once. This session invites theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions that address these and other challenges in order to deepen our understanding of how segregation arises, with a focus on intergroup relations.
Lars Leszczensky 