This specialized gathering has showcased the best research on the dynamics of intergroup contact and social cohesion that is currently available on the international stage. What was supposed to be a ‘small’ group meeting, has in fact become a medium-size meeting, with a total of 77 participants across the three days, including 50 researchers presenting research papers, and 20+ non-presenting participants from university staff, research students, and representatives of industry stakeholders in the social cohesion space from around the country.
One of the conference delegates reached out to the organisers to express all her enthusiasm for the event as soon as it finished, saying: “I can honestly say it was the most well-organised, fun, thought-provoking conference I’ve attended.” AProf Paolini explains that: “the high quality gathering and its success will give further momentum to research in social cohesion and contribute to Newcastle’s evergrowing national and international research profile, recently confirmed by excellent ERA results for psychology. The conference reflects and is a testimony to the high quality of the work that many dedicated researchers, research laboratories do around the world”. She added: “it has been exciting to learn about cutting-edge paradigms, methods, and analytical approaches capable of unveiling the roots of intergroup prejudice and discrimination and working to find ways to increase social cohesion in a multitude of intergroup settings, participant populations and societal contexts. We need more good quality research that helps us get closer to the society and the world that we want to be”.
Photo on the right: AProf Paolini (right) and research collaborator Fatima Azam (left) reflect on their contact-inspired community project bringing together non-Muslim and Muslim women around hijab stalls on UON campuses.
The Newcastle meeting enjoyed a very strong delegation of international and national delegates of varied seniority and background: 18 countries from all continents but Antarctica were represented. Of the 50 presenting delegates, 17 were from Australia, 24 from Europe, and 9 from other destinations around the world, making it into a truly international event!
To learn more about the 2019 SASP-SPSSI meeting on intergroup contact, visit the conference website: https://sasp.org.au/2018/09/sasp-spssi-group-meeting-2019/ To learn more about and contact researchers from the Newcastle-Oxford Research Centre on Conflict and Cohesion, visit: https://www.norccc.org/
