Cultural Psychological Perspective on the Immigrants’ Ingroup-Outgroup Interaction in the Social Change during COVID-19

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to social and cultural norms, resulting in changes in the way individuals perceive and interact with each other. These changes are particularly evident in the context of immigration, where the pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges and created new ones.

Despite the critical role that immigrants and refugees have played during the pandemic, many have faced significant challenges and obstacles. Some have been exposed to higher risks of infection due to their working conditions, while others have experienced discrimination and xenophobia. Additionally, some have been excluded from government support and social safety nets due to their immigration status. At the same time, many countries have implemented measures to protect the rights of immigrants and support their integration into society. For example, some countries have granted temporary legal status to undocumented workers, providing them with access to healthcare and social services, or offering them financial assistance.

The proposed Special Issue aims to explore the cultural psychological perspective of immigrants’ ingroup–outgroup interaction during the social change brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this Special Issue seeks to investigate how the pandemic has affected immigrants’ relationships with both their ingroup (i.e., other members of their cultural or ethnic group) and outgroup members (i.e., those from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds). It aims to investigate how cultural values, beliefs, and practices influence immigrants’ perceptions of their ingroup and outgroup members during the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the acculturation processes of immigrants, including their adaptation to the host culture and maintenance of their heritage culture, and has had influenced intergroup relations, with either negative or positive consequences.

Overall, the present Special Issue seeks to contribute to the understanding of the complex and dynamic interplay between culture, psychology, and intergroup dynamics in the social change during the COVID-19 pandemic. It welcomes submissions from scholars in cultural and social psychology, (im)migration studies, and related fields, and aims to provide a comprehensive and multidisciplinary understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on immigrants’ ingroup–outgroup interaction.

The current Special Issue aims to collect original research articles that explore these issues by extending the horizon of investigation to topics such as:

1. The impact of cultural values and beliefs on the perception and management of the COVID-19 pandemic by immigrant communities.
2. The role of epistemic and cultural motivations in influencing attitudes (e.g., prejudiced attitudes) and behaviors towards immigrants.
3. The role of intergroup contact and social identity in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of immigrants towards members of the host society during the pandemic.
4. The impact of COVID-19-related discrimination and stigma on the mental health and well-being of immigrants.
5. The role of communication, political attention, and information sharing (e.g., on social media) in shaping the interactions between immigrant communities and the host society during the pandemic.
6. The impact of COVID-19 on the economic and employment prospects of immigrants, including the potential for discrimination, exploitation, and marginalization in the labor market.
7. The long-term consequences of the pandemic on the psychological well-being of immigrants.
8. The impact of COVID-19 on the educational outcomes of immigrants, including immigrant children (e.g., the academic performance, attendance, and engagement of these students, as well as any disparities in the access to online learning resources and support).

In this Special Issue, contributions have to follow one of the three categories, articles, conceptual papers or reviews, of the journal and address the topic of the Special Issue.

Dr. Silvana Mula
Dr. Gabriele Di Cicco
Guest Editors

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• cultural psychology
• immigrants
• ingroup–outgroup dynamics
• social change
• COVID-19
• intergroup relations