Research Bulletin
Vol.2 Issue 9 September 2023
Leveraging Behavioural Science Insights on Stereotypes and Discrimination
The Jindal Institute of Behavioral Sciences (JIBS) research bulletin presents an overview of recent research published by the faculty and research scholars at JIBS organised under different themes.
Iryna Soroka
Gerontophobia in “The Coming of Age”
by Simone De Beauvoir: an Interdisciplinary Study
With the aim to identify the changes in the population’s perception about ageing, this research analysed Simone de Beauvoir’s, ‘The Coming of Age,’ by classifying word associations with the phenomenon of ageing. The study employed empirical methods of survey, observation, free association, and semantic analysis. It was the semantic analysis that helped identify three key connotations utilised by Simone de Beauvoir to conceptualise age: existential, romantic, and pejorative. From a sample of 340 participants, it was revealed that 45% of associations with the word carried an existential inference, 40% pejorative, 10% romantic, and 5% of the associations carried an inference that did not fit within any of the three classifications. The findings of the study reveal that stereotypes about ageing prevalent in contemporary society mirror those within a text from over fifty years ago, and have implications for future research directions in ageing. Read More…
Bhasker Malu
Discrimination Experiences of Old Settlers in Sikkim: A Qualitative Exploration.
Recognising the relative dearth of discussion on the discrimination experiences of the mainland Indians in northeastern states, this study focuses on the old settlers in Sikkim. The Rajya Sabha Committee of Petitions 2014 acknowledged that members of this community were treated as “second-class citizens.” Through nine semi-structured interviews with seven male and two female participants from the Bihari, Marwari, and Punjabi communities, this study explored the prevalence and manifestation of discrimination against old settlers who settled in Sikkim, prior to 1975. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed the prevalence of discrimination and racism against old settlers at institutional and interpersonal levels. These findings are salient as they can inform policy recommendations and reports on race-based discrimination in India. The state of Sikkim is of particular significance to this study as it merged with India in 1975, and has thus had lesser time to integrate with migrants or mainlanders. Read More…
Faculty Coordinators: Ms. Bhavya Tandon & Ms. Samreen Chhabra