Julia Köbrich

People tend to seek out others who are like them. This preference for similarity can result in divided societies as people burrow deeper into like-minded groups. So, in the interest of social cohesion and peace, what would encourage people to engage with others across social divides?

Many studies investigated relations between intergroup contact and intergroup attitudes. Yet, additive and multiplicative effects of contact are less researched. We explored the additive effects of four types of indirect contact and whether effects of indirect contact are affected by direct contact.

This mixed methods paper developed and tested hypotheses on changeable determinants of contact preferences informed by data from Togo and Sierra Leone. Inclusive ideas and knowledge of outgroup practices were associated with weaker, and exclusive ideas with stronger, preferences for similar others.

The project „Religion for Peace: Identifying Conditions and Mechanisms of Interfaith Peace“ explored ways to build and maintain peace between different religious groups. This illustrated summary presents key findings and highlights what we learned about interreligious peace, challenges involved, and ideas about what can be done to put interreligious peace together.

Conflict Research Society Annual Conference, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Organisers: Conflict Research Society Julia Köbrich (Speaker)

Declining interreligious peace and rising religiously motivated violence make it important to find ways to foster interreligious peace. Theoretical discussions suggest that construals of intergroup relations, that are people’s understanding of the status of intergroup relations, can sustain both violence and peace. Hence, research on peacebuilding should study construals of intergroup relations.

Ausstellungseröffnung 'Sharing Stories' IMBA Galerie, IMBA-Galerie, Hamburg Organisers: IMBA-Galerie Julia Köbrich (Consultant)

Religion seems to both unite and divide people: There is an increase in religiously motivated discrimination and violence. Nevertheless, in many places, people of different religions live together peacefully. The lecture focused on Togo and Sierra Leone as positive examples of interreligious tolerance and peace, and posed the question of how peaceful coexistence of religions can be achieved.