Abstract

CONTRERAS-IBANEZ, Carlos C.  and  SALDIVAR GARDUNO, Alicia. The relationship between identification with the Mexican national stereotype and things for immigrants. Polis [online]. 2018, vol.14, n.2, pp.39-69. ISSN 2594-0686.

A distinctive feature of this stage of globalization is that the migratory phenomenon has grown and become enormously complex, and this, together with the lack of timely and effective action by national states, weakened by the current dynamics of capitalism, has exacerbated conflicts between various national groups and migrants, generally to the detriment of the latter. This is expressed in the increase of negative provisions and xenophobic behavior only partially disguised, or directly through acts of aggression, exclusion, invisibilization and exploitation, accentuated by conditions of vulnerability of both groups. Although there is a large body of scientific knowledge in this regard, the new conditions described make it imperative to review the existing models about the dynamics generated by the formation and expression of these attitudes towards migrants, an objective to which this work aims to contribute, so this work intends to contribute to filling that gap of knowledge. Relations between human groups have been centrally investigated by social psychology, which since the 90’s has a new family of concepts derived from its fertilization with social cognition. It is from this theoretical perspective that the present work describes and uses the content model of the stereotype, incorporating those of identity complexity and symbolic threat, to construct the notion of identity force, which could explain a greater hostility, as well as the recurrent derogation and the rivalry towards migrants under certain conditions. To discuss this approach, we present an analysis of the observed relationship between identification with the stereotypical characteristics of the Mexican national group, and attitudes towards immigrants in the country, with the data available in the National Survey on Discrimination (Enadis, 2010) and the National Migration Survey (ENM, 2015). In general, we distinguish a link between identification with the Mexican, and hostile (negative content) or favorable (positive content of the stereotype) attitudes towards the immigrant. The findings are interpreted in terms of the advancement of the understanding of the relations between groups, pointing out new questions for the sociocognitive theory of identities, and some criticisms of public policy and the official discourse addressed to immigrant groups.

Keywords : Stereotypes; Attitudes; Identification; Immigrants; Mexican.