Teresa Whitney | London School of Economics and Political Science (original) (raw)

Papers by Teresa Whitney

This image is a portion of a photograph taken during the course of my fieldwork. My research expl... more This image is a portion of a photograph taken during the course of my fieldwork. My research explores the conditions necessary for successful interfaith dialogue. These conditions extend beyond the psychological, and into the material and the symbolic. An item as innocuous as a chair can serve to hinder or facilitate dialogue, serving as a physical or symbolic barrier between groups or an invitation to blur them. I particularly like this image because it reminds me to strive to make the familiar strange

PhD candidate Terressa Whitney reflects on the Department of Social Psychology annual academic re... more PhD candidate Terressa Whitney reflects on the Department of Social Psychology annual academic retreat to cumberland lodge.

After recently completing her PhD in Social Psychology at the LSE, Dr Teresa Whitney talks us thr... more After recently completing her PhD in Social Psychology at the LSE, Dr Teresa Whitney talks us through her top ten tips for surviving the PhD process.

International Handbook of Psychiatry, 2013

In more than 1,800 pages of alphabetical entries, each ranging from 500 to 1,2000 words, The Ency... more In more than 1,800 pages of alphabetical entries, each ranging from 500 to 1,2000 words, The Encyclopedia Of Race And Racism, 2nd Edition provides critical information and context on the underlying social, economic, geographical, and political conditions that, gave rise and continue to foster racism. Religion, political economy, social activism, health, concepts, and constructs are explored. Given the increasingly diverse population of the US and the rapid effects of globalization, as well as mass and social media, the issue of race in world affairs, history, and culture is of preeminent importance, and this work is designed to bring vetted and accessible facts and analysis to experts and students as well as lay readers

Police forces and security communities across OECD countries are struggling to deal with the lack... more Police forces and security communities across OECD countries are struggling to deal with the lack of cohesion amongst increasingly diverse communities. This research speaks directly to these concerns through the analysis of interviews conducted with interfaith practitioners working across 13 London boroughs. Group identities are inherently political, so it is vital for policy makers to understand the day-to-day impact integration/cohesion legislation has on minority communities. Community cohesion statistics and council surveys, while useful, cannot access the raw data necessary to understand this impact, as their bureaucratic formulations do not lend themselves to contextual nuances. Their tick-box formatting also removes the capacity of minority communities to have their perspectives heard by those in power, and this lack of acknowledgement can intensify separatist politics, making such policy efforts counterproductive.

Encyclopaedia of race and racism. , 2013

Talks by Teresa Whitney

Talk given at The London School of Economics on 10 November 2015

As part of LSE Research Festival 2014, the evening of Tuesday 6 May saw LSE Faith Centre welcome ... more As part of LSE Research Festival 2014, the evening of Tuesday 6 May saw LSE Faith Centre welcome guests from LSE and elsewhere for a panel discussion focusing on the role of religion in academic research.

March 2014, Centre for Social Relations, Coventry, Conference on Social Relations, Transformation... more March 2014, Centre for Social Relations, Coventry, Conference on Social Relations, Transformation and Trust

This paper draws on the social representations approach to political psychology outlined by Elcheroth, Doise, and Reicher (2011), which focuses on shared meta-knowledge, enacted communication, and assumptions embedded in collective understandings, suggesting four new ways to explore political realities. Their work is considered in light of on-going research examining the process of the opening of a university faith centre, a process that involves bringing together spatially separated student groups with a contentious political history. Through analysis of observational fieldwork utilizing an original socio-spatial observational protocol, I outline how environmental factors influence intergroup relations via boundary creation, maintenance, and blurring. Work to date has shown that space impacts intergroup identity negotiation and can both hinder and facilitate reconciliation between groups. This is then discussed in relation to two of Elcheroth et al.'s suggestions - the collective experience of group relations and observed collective practices. The paper concludes by exploring how space and notions of place can potentially transform intergroup conflict into opportunities for dialogue.

July 2014, Rome, Italy, International Society for Political Psychology

July 2014, London, UK, The Sacred City: London, art and the religious imaginary, ACE /ASK International Conference 2014

August 2013, Exeter, BPS Social Psychology Section

International Handbook of Psychiatry, 2013

Encyclopaedia of race and racism. , 2013

Talk given at The London School of Economics on 10 November 2015

July 2014, Rome, Italy, International Society for Political Psychology

July 2014, London, UK, The Sacred City: London, art and the religious imaginary, ACE /ASK International Conference 2014

August 2013, Exeter, BPS Social Psychology Section

Interfaith dialogue is an identity re-negotiation process at the heart of the current UK context.... more Interfaith dialogue is an identity re-negotiation process at the heart of the current UK context. It facilitates temporary, project-based community building between diverse groups and is materially, symbolically, and psychologically mediated. While there is a rich social psychological literature on identity and intergroup relations, the role the material environment plays is less well explored. This thesis argues that the physical
environment is a central component of contextualized identities and thus intergroup relations. Taking a social representations approach to knowledge encounters and dialogue, this thesis explores how the physical environment functions as a channel of communication between groups and affects identity formation and community building. This research is made up of three studies that examine the process of interfaith contact and dialogue. Study I focuses on the actions of students at 27 faith related events prior to the opening of a University Faith Centre. Findings indicate that students verbally communicated inclusiveness and engaged in physically protective behaviour during interfaith encounters, thus maintaining their faith in-group identities while simultaneously meeting the expectation of participating in interfaith dialogue. Study II examined how university students in 6 focus groups made sense of the concept of interfaith dialogue and of the new Centre as well as how 7 school managers viewed faith on campus. Findings show that interfaith dialogue is a time-intensive process of re-evaluation that is mediated by space and can be hindered by psycho-social processes of identity. Study III focused on the experiences of 18 interfaith practitioners across London, exploring how they make sense of interfaith relations and how they manage interfaith encounters. Findings indicate that interfaith relations are part of a wider social project of re-presenting faith in the UK public sphere, which is pursued via physically and psychologically facilitating dialogical encounters between diverse belief groups in order to maximise social capital. Overall, the findings highlight the interplay between the material, symbolic, and psychological aspects of identity negotiation and community building, and show that interfaith dialogue is a complex process that functions not just at the psycho-social level of contact, but also via the physical environment.