The relationship between cultural diversity management ideologies and prejudices of minorities in Myanmar

Social categorization (e.g., in-group/out-group) may lead to intergroup conflict and prejudice in relationships (Guan, Verkuyten, Fung, Bond, Chen & Chan, 2011). How people perceive differences of groups may influence their attitudes and behaviours toward others who are different from them. Thus, does an individual’s representation of cultural differences or cultural diversity management ideologies relate to their prejudice towards others in Myanmar? Subjects were 226 members of several ethnic minorities from Myanmar who completed a survey set of five scales: Colour-blindness, Multiculturalism, Polyculturalism, their current/past negative relationship with the Bamar (dominant group) and their prejudice towards the Bamar. This study shows that people’s endorsements of colour-blindness and polyculturalism are negatively related to their prejudice level and polyculturalsim as an ideology that predicts reduced prejudice among minority groups’ members in Myanmar, even after controlling for the interaction effect between polyculturalism and past/present negative contacts. Result suggests that colour-blindness and polyculturalism management ideologies seem possible predictors for decreasing the prejudice level among minorities in Myanmar. All rights reserved.