Concluded projects
of the Institute of Conflict Research
Handbook on Prejudice
| Project Management: | Univ. Prof. Dr. Anton Pelinka |
| Project Team: | Mag.a Karin Bischof Mag.a Karin Stögner Dr.in Birgitt Haller |
| Financed by: | voestalpine AG via Sir Peter Ustinov Institute |
| Concluded in | September 2007 |
The editorial work on the English Handbook on Prejudice was terminated in autumn 2007. The preparation of the manuscript lasted two years; it contains 13 academic articles by internationally renowned researchers, an introduction by the editor and a conclusion.
The aim of the Handbook is to shed light on the prejudices prevailing in society. These are pooled into the following six categories: anti-Semitism, racism, gender / sexual orientation, class / social stratum, religious prejudice and outward appearance / handicap / illness/ age. The six contributions on these categories in the first section of the Handbook provide basic insight into each type of prejudice in question from a contemporary as well as from a historical point of view, and they also selectively focus on similarities and differences between these particular prejudices as compared to other forms of prejudice with regard to their social function and structure. Moreover, some contributions also briefly outline good practices in combating a particular type of prejudice.
In the second section of the book the term prejudice is delineated from the perspectives of different academic disciplines and/or groups of academic disciplines.
These groups of disciplines are Psychology / Psychoanalysis / Pedagogy, History and History of Art, Linguistics / Literary Studies / Communication Science, Law and Religious Studies, Sociology / Political Science/ Anthropology/ Economics, and Natural Science and Medicine.
The general essays in this section outline the theoretical shaping of the term "prejudice" in the respective academic disciplines and describe causes, effects and social functions of prejudices, as seen in the respective discipline. Some of these articles throw light on controversies about the term "prejudice" within a given discipline. This section centres around prejudice in general, whereas particular types of prejudice are dealt with only in an exemplary way.
