Abstract
Demographic change in Ireland has been met by ambivalent responses among the Irish public. Following the work of Potter and Wetherell, we argue that this ambivalence extends to the views held not just between different people but within the views of individuals. This variability is a problem for traditional attitude research with its assumption of individual attitudinal consistency. This paper explores inconsistency and dissonance in the Social Representations (SRs) held by Irish teenagers towards immigrants and minorities assessed via a qualitative focus group design. A total of 64 white Irish students participated. They ranged from 14 to 18 years of age. Mean age was 15 years and 8 months. The analysis supported the idea that complex and contradictory SRs helped participants understand, organise and communicate their views on immigration and allowed participants to (a) rationalise anxiety and negative arguments while (b) allowing discussants to appear to offer fair, socially competent and desirable responses.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 70-85 |
Journal | Translocations: Migration and Social Change |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 01 Dec 2008 |
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“You have to be fluid”. Prison officer types, perceived quality of staff-prisoner relationships, and staff burnout in the Irish Prison Service
Meade, S. (Author), Butler, M. (Supervisor), Percy, A. (Supervisor) & Maruna, S. (Supervisor), Dec 2024Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy
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