The development and socialization of children's ethnicity-related views in the Netherlands
Abstract
Discrimination, one of the consequences of ethnic prejudice and stereotypes, is a widespread issue that many people of color face. For example, approximately half of the Turkish-, Moroccan-, Antillean-, and Surinamese-Dutch who participated in a large representative national survey reported experiencing discrimination in 2020. Children are not spared from these issues. Studies suggest that the awareness of ethnic stereotypes and the development of ethnic prejudice start in early childhood. Theories on the development of children’s ethnicity-related views (e.g., prejudice, stereotypes, and feelings about one’s ethnic group) suggest that children’s developing knowledge about the social world is closely linked to the socialization agents they are exposed to. Unfortunately, research on children’s ethnicity-related views is rare in the Netherlands. Understanding the development and socialization of children’s ethnicity-related views is crucial for identifying ways to improve interethnic relations in the Netherlands and elsewhere. This dissertation covers studies into the development and socialization of children’s ethnicity-related views in the Dutch context. This dissertation contributes to this sparse literature through a series of studies that focus on the development and socialization of children’s ethnicity-related views through three socializing agents; wider society (Chapter 2), textbooks (Chapter 3), and parents (Chapters 4 and 5).
