Social psychology’s core question about racism predates contemporary science

Evidence

One of the most serious questions that social psychologists of racism are asking is also, perhaps, the simplest too: ‘why can’t we just get along?’ (Dovidio et al ., 2002b ). It is the type of concern that seems to be at the core of modern scientifi c analyses of racism. But it is not only a contemporary concern. A similar concern can be found in the classic studies of the discipline. For instance, Myrdal has expressed it aptly too: ‘why all … potentially and intentionally good people so often make life a hell for themselves and each other when they live together, whether in a family, a community, a nation or a world’ (Myrdal, 1996 [ 1944 ], p. 1023). — Cristian Tileagă, The Nature of Prejudice, 714

Categorization

• DEFINE: Sets up the chapter’s framing of ‘why can’t we just get along’ as the organizing question.