Rejection identification or disindentification? The association of discrimination on depressive symptoms via religious and national identity among British Muslims

Muslims comprise a small, yet important and growing percentage of the population in the United Kingdom. In addition to economic and social hardship, British Muslims are disadvantaged by hostile, Islamophobic attitudes and pervasive discriminatory practices. Previous research testing the Rejection-Identification (RIM) and Rejection-Disidentification (RDM) Models has suggested that the impacts of discrimination on the well-being of minorities may be mediated by processes of increased minority identification and decreased majority identification. The current research utilised these explanatory frameworks to investigate the relationships between personal discrimination and perceived Islamophobia, religious and national identities, and depressive symptoms in young British Muslims aged 16–27 years (N = 142). The results provide support for some, but not all, elements of the theoretical models tested. Specifically, perceived Islamophobia was directly associated with stronger Muslim identity, and personal discrimination was associated with weaker British identity. Furthermore, personal discrimination was associated with greater depressive symptoms; neither social identity was associated with more favourable mental health outcomes; and Muslim identity was weakly, but significantly, associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms. This research points to the need to assess personal discrimination alongside indicators of group level discrimination, to include multiple social identities, and to be mindful of broader social and contextual factors when investigating RIM and RDM.     

The online place of popular music: Exploring the impact of geography and social media on pop artists’ mainstream media attention

Many authors have pointed to the internet’s potential to increase connectivity across the world, which would imply an equalizing effect, yet few researchers have examined this. At the same time, the increasing usage of social media by popular culture celebrities for self-promotion has been signaled. We study the extent to which social media can reduce inequalities in mainstream media attention between artists from central cities in popular music production (e.g., New York, London) versus more peripheral cities. We distinguish between media attention by institutionally embedded music critics and lay users on the internet. The results show that artists coming from more central cities have higher chances to get attention in mainstream media—both by institutional critics and lay users—than artists from peripheral cities. Building a fan base on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace can compensate for some of this inequality, but not for all of it.     

“To be or not to be”: the double consciousness of the Tamil Muslims during the early 20th century

When the nation building process was gaining momentum during the early 20th century, all the communities in British India had to participate in the process and the Muslims were no exception. Although the Muslim community in British India was as diverse as any other community, there was an attempt to unite its members under the identity of “Muslims” during the first half of the 20th century. But the Tamil Muslims remained aloof from the idea of an “Indian Muslim Community.” They had a double consciousness of being a Tamil as well as a Muslim. They highlighted their “Tamilness” more than their “Muslimness.” More than the Muslim League, their involvement with the Dravidian Movement was substantial. They supported both the movement for Dravidasthan as well as Pakistan. This paper will look into the process of “nation making,” particularly a “Muslim nation” and the anxiety of the Tamil Muslims during these processes. It will analyse the reasons behind the Tamil Muslims being alienated from the other Muslims, the British colonialist denying the identity of “pure” Muslims to the Tamil Muslims and their involvement in the Dravidian Movement.     

Express acceptance or feel anxiety? The effects of trait-related information about foreign residents on endorsement of multiculturalism

Apart from direct contact, people also familiarize themselves with other groups through indirect information. For example, as previous studies have revealed, indirect information on personality traits of outgroup members have influences on intergroup attitudes. Extending existing work, the current study specifically examined the effects of such indirect information on people’s endorsement of multiculturalism, a set of attitudes regarding the attainment of harmonious coexistence among diverse cultural groups. Based on the Stereotype Content Model, two experiments were conducted to investigate how media coverage and social consensus information about moral, social and competence-related traits of foreign residents in China would affect local people’s endorsement of multiculturalism. In experiment 1, when participants learned from the news that foreigners in China possessed high competence, they expressed more appreciation towards the cultural diversity that foreigners brought to the local society, but less support for foreign residents maintaining their own cultural traditions. In experiment 2, participants who learned that other local people perceived foreign residents as having high sociability, morality or competence showed more appreciation towards cultural diversity and more support for maintaining such diversity. Furthermore, in both experiments, perceived anxiety played a mediating role in how indirect trait-related information affected local people’s support for maintaining cultural diversity. Lastly, possible explanations for some unexpected findings and implications for future research are discussed.