Events

PLEASE NOTE: this seminar is now CANCELLED

"Ethnic diversity and Avoidance of Interethnic Ties in School: A Study of Adolescents in England, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden"

[Joint work with Eva Jaspers and Frank van Tubergen]

Abstract:  In the literature it is argued that ethnic diversity would be related to social isolation (e.g. Putnam, 2007). In a large number of school classes in 4 European countries (CILS4EU), we study if the ethnic composition is related to the density of avoidance ties. We improve upon previous research by looking not only at diversity measures, but at the share of co-ethnic peers in class as well. We observe large variations across classes in the number of negative ties that occur. We further find that although avoidance is more likely to occur in ethnically diverse dyads, ethnic diversity at the class level is not or negatively related to the density of avoidance ties. We conclude that the relationship between ethnic heterogeneity and negative ties is complex, but that we find no support for the notion that more ethnic diversity in networks is related to more avoidance of others.

The Sociology Seminar Series for Hilary Term is convened by Richard Breen and Janne Jonsson. For more information about this or any of the seminars in the series, please contact sociology.secretary@nuffield.ox.ac.uk.