ISPP 2024 Presentation

Our co-coordinator, Filipa Madeira, recently shared important research on how Luso-tropicalism still shapes social inequalities today. She presented her findings at the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP) conference in Santiago, Chile, in July 2024. She was also invited to speak at the Instituto de Ciencias Sociales at Universidad de O’Higgins.
Her talk, “The Legitimizing Role of Luso-tropicalism in Perpetuating Contemporary Attitudes Toward Social Inequalities”, explored how luso-tropicalist beliefs influence attitudes toward race-based policies, such as affirmative action. The research highlights how these ideas can make people more resistant to policies promoting equality and reinforcing biases between different social groups.
Preliminary findings of this research show that colonial ideologies, such as the case of Lusotropicalism, act as legitimizing myth between social dominance orientation and opposition to race-based affirmative action. Also, exposure to colonial ideology increased ingroup favoritism, especially among those endorsing higher levels of Lusotropicalism.