Introduction to the Issue

Journal of Social Issues, Fall, 1999 by Karen M. Ruggiero, Herbert C. Kelman

Karen M. Ruggiero [*]

Gordon Willard Allport was born more than 100 years ago on November 11, 1897. In honor of the centennial of his birth, this issue of the Journal presents a collection of articles on the social psychology of prejudice and intergroup relations-the field that Allport pioneered with his classic 1954 book, The Nature of Prejudice. The articles provide insights into both perpetrators and targets of prejudice and the conflict that often takes place between members of different societal groups. In the tradition of Gordon Allport, these articles demonstrate that it is possible for social science to make theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions to the understanding and resolution of social problems. This introductory article highlights Allport's contributions to the social psychology of prejudice and intergroup relations. Overviews of the articles in this issue are also provided, and the recurring theoretical and methodological approaches are considered.

When Gordon Willard Allport was born on November 11, 1897, in Montezuma, Indiana, women were denied the right to vote, racial segregation was legal, and quotas limited the number of Jews in higher education. More than 100 years later, many things have changed, but Allport's contribution to social psychology remains immeasurable. His book, The Nature of Prejudice, is a classic. Although published in 1954, "it continues to be cited as the definitive theoretical statement of the field, and it remains unchallenged in social science as the book on prejudice" (Pettigrew, 1979, p. xiii). In honor of the centennial of Gordon Allport's birth, this issue presents a collection of articles on the social psychology of prejudice and intergroup relations, the field that Allport pioneered more than 40 years ago.

The current issue is based on The Gordon W. Allport Centennial Symposium that was held at Harvard University on October 31, 1997. The topic of the symposium was the social psychology of prejudice and intergroup relations. Half of the articles in this issue-those by Lawrence Bobo; Marilynn Brewer; Susan Fiske, Jun Xu, Amy Cuddy, and Peter Glick; David Marx, Joseph Brown, and Claude Steele; and Thomas Pettigrew-are expanded and updated versions of symposium presentations. The remaining articles are written by social psychology faculty members and graduate students at Harvard, all of whom participated in the symposium, including Susan Cross and Robert Rosenthal; Herbert Kelman; Todd Pittinsky, Margaret Shih, and Nalini Ambady; Karen Ruggiero; and Judith White and Ellen Langer. Together, the articles in this issue demonstrate the continuing influence of Allport's pioneering work at his home institution and in social psychology as a whole.

Organization of the Issue

Every article in this issue of the Journal uses the seminal work of Gordon Allport as a starting point for its own research. We begin this issue with an article that offers a tribute to Allport. The personal reflections of Thomas Pettigrew on the life and work of Gordon Allport provide a conceptual and contextual introduction to the theory and research that follow. We then turn to nine articles that provide new insights into the social psychology of prejudice and intergroup relations. These articles are organized around three themes that emerged in Allport's 1954 book, The Nature of Prejudice. Three articles focus on the persons and groups that perpetrate prejudice. The next three articles provide insights into the experiences of targets of prejudice. Finally, three articles investigate intergroup relations, with a focus on groups in conflict. In the tradition of Gordon Allport, these articles demonstrate that it is possible for social science to make theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions to th e understanding and resolution of social problems.

Personal Reflections

Thomas Pettigrew offers a tribute to Gordon Allport by providing personal reflections on the life and work of the man who was once his mentor and colleague. The article begins with a discussion of Allport's life at Harvard, where Pettigrew was his graduate student. As a scholar in the area of prejudice and intergroup relations, Pettigrew then presents three reasons why Allport's contributions to social psychology are both unique and long-lasting. He first shows how Allport's work offers an eclectic balance of the many sides of social psychology. lie then demonstrates Allport' s ability to formulate the discipline's central problems for the future and to propose innovative approaches to them. Finally, he shows how Allport's scholarly work presents a consistent, seamless, and forceful perspective. Pettigrew then applies these three points to Allport' s book. He argues that although it was Allport's most explicit attempt to influence public opinion, this famous volume was also balanced, ahead of its time, and e legantly written. As Pettigrew so eloquently describes, Allport's book has organized the study of prejudice over the past half century. The author concludes his article by explaining, in personal terms, why those who knew Gordon Allport remember him so warmly 30 years later.