Authors
Background
Supraordinate identities (e.g., European identity) can enhance intergroup relations if individuals recategorize ingroup and outgroup members into one, overarching group. However, in post-conflict societies which remain divided along group lines, ethno-national identities may promote negative intergroup attitudes and behaviours. The combined effects of European and ethno-national identities have yet to be explored in childhood. If these identities can be integrated (i.e., viewed as both compatible and overlapping) among children in post-conflict societies, the inclusive and reconciliatory benefits of a supraordinate European identity may be felt despite the divisiveness of ethno-national identities. This research assesses supraordinate identity integration in relation to children’s quality of intergroup contact and number of cross-group friendships, focusing on the post-accord generation in Croatia, Kosovo and Republic of North Macedonia (RNM). These sites have relatively recent conflicts, but varying relationships to the EU.
Method
Participants were 382 children aged 7–11, split evenly by minority and majority group status (Croatia n = 90; Kosovo n = 107; RNM n = 185). To investigate whether children’s European and ethno-national identities can be integrated, and whether the degree to which they are integrated differs as a function of site and minority/majority group status, bivariate correlations and a 2 (group status: minority/majority) × 3 (site: Croatia, Kosovo, RNM) between groups ANOVA were performed. To investigate the associations between children’s ethno-national/European identity integration and their quality of outgroup contact and number cross-group friendships, hierarchical linear regressions were run.
Results
Children in Croatia, Kosovo and RNM had integrated ethno-national/European identities. Levels of identity integration varied by site, but not group status; children in Croatia reported significantly more identity integration than children in RNM. Identity integration was positively and significantly associated with quality of outgroup contact and number of cross-group friends. This relationship varied by site, such that the effect of identity integration on quality of contact was less positive for children in Kosovo than in Croatia, and children in Kosovo had less cross-group friends than children in Croatia.
Conclusion
Integrated supraordinate identities have promising implications for children’s quality of outgroup contact and number of cross-group friendships in post-conflict societies. However, factors such as sites’ relation to the EU, and the recency and intensity of a conflict, may limit the degree to which identities can be integrated, and to which the benefits of integrated identities can be felt. While this study is cross-sectional in nature, it provides preliminary evidence that supraordinate identity integration is a promising avenue for enhancing intergroup relations, with implications for the future of peacebuilding in Europe.
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