Group power inequalities make equal-status contact structurally unattainable

Evidence

Consider intergroup strife in Northern Ireland and Quebec. These societal contexts severely limit all forms of intergroup contact. Moreover, they render the contact that does occur less than optimal. Implicit in Allport’s equal-status condition is equivalent group power in the situation. This is difficult to achieve when a struggle over power fuels the larger intergroup conflict. — Thomas F. Pettigrew, Intergroup Contact Theory, 95

Categorization

• DEFINE: Unpacks what Allport’s ‘equal status’ condition quietly assumes — equivalent group power inside the situation — which most summaries of the theory gloss over.
• QUESTION: If larger power struggles make equal status impossible, contact interventions in deeply divided societies may be self-limiting; worth tracing what that implies for Northern Ireland and Quebec cases.