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Privileged representations of peace: Perpetuating systemic violence
Ekin Birdir1, Ludwin Molina1, Canan Coşkan2
1Department of Psychology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA.
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|January 17, 2026
Summary
This study reveals how dominant groups in Turkey and the US perceive peace in ways that perpetuate ethnic violence. Their views on peace, influenced by national identity, support state-sanctioned violence.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Decolonial Studies
- Critical Race Theory
Background:
- Traditional social psychology focuses on prejudice reduction and social justice to promote peace.
- These approaches often overlook how mainstream discourse normalizes collective ethnic and racial violence.
- This study addresses this gap by examining privileged perspectives on peace.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how dominant ethnic/racial groups' (Turks and White Americans) meta-representations of peace align with their respective contracts.
- To analyze how these perceptions perpetuate collective violence within decolonial frameworks.
- To compare the elements of privileged epistemic engagement with peace in Turkey and the United States.
Main Methods:
- Two mixed-method studies were conducted in Turkey and the United States.
- Qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed.
- Decolonial frameworks, liberation psychology, critical race theory, and ethnic/racial contracts were utilized.
Main Results:
- Comparative analysis revealed overlapping elements (negative peace, reliance on nation-state) and divergent elements (assimilative inclusion, neoliberal individuality) in the peace meta-representations of Turks and White Americans.
- These elements align with Turkishness and White racial contracts, perpetuating collective violence.
- Endorsement of ethnic/racial identity correlated with higher perceptions of state/military contributions to peace, indicating the role of racial privilege.
Conclusions:
- Privileged meta-representations of peace, shaped by ethnic/racial contracts, contribute to the normalization and perpetuation of collective violence.
- The findings highlight the intersection of national identity, racial privilege, and the maintenance of systemic violence.
- This research offers the first social psychological investigation of the Turkishness contract and a comparative analysis of privileged peace meta-representations.
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