Psychology of Ethnocentrism

Episode Description

In this Reflections episode, hosts Barry Richards and Mustafa Selek delve deeper into their conversation with Professor Maria Sobolewska about her co-authored book "Brexitland" and the historical forces that shaped Brexit. The hosts explore how two long-term social trends—expanding higher education and increasing immigration—created the cultural and political divisions that eventually manifested in the Brexit vote.

Barry reflects on how Brexit, which seemed to "come out of nowhere" in terms of public concern, was actually the culmination of decades-long demographic and social changes in British society. Mustafa shares his moment of clarity about how the "68 generation," though relatively small in number, had an outsized influence on liberalizing cultural values over time—raising questions about whether today's vocal minorities might similarly shape future societal directions, but potentially in the opposite direction.

The hosts examine Sobolewska's concept of "ethnocentrism" and its extension beyond traditional ethnic or cultural boundaries to include divisions over sexuality and "culture war" issues like the "woke versus anti-woke" debate. They question whether the psychological foundations of these different types of group identities are truly identical or if historically-rooted identities differ meaningfully from newer political alignments.

This reflective conversation considers the relationship between higher education and liberal values, challenging the assumption that university attendance inevitably produces liberal attitudes, particularly as higher education expands to include nearly half the population and the university experience itself transforms.

About Reflections

Reflections offers listeners a behind-the-scenes conversation following each Metapolitics episode. Join hosts Barry Richards and Mustafa Selek as they unpack key insights from their conversations with guests, explore themes that couldn't fit into the main episode, and share their personal perspectives on the meta-dimensions of politics discussed.