Our weekly publication : “Did you know…”

US AGAINST THEM, a theme from the  “What If I Was Wrong? When We Talk, We Learn !” campaign

Did you know that human beings have a spontaneous cognitive tendency to categorize their fellow human beings socially?

This is particularly true of children, who appear to be predisposed to adopt the social categories used in their socio-cultural environment.

The idea that social essentialism manifests itself (that is to say that children are predisposed to adopt the discriminatory ideas around them) may be harmful to a society.¹ Do you think it is possible for us individuals and our families, communities and societies to address this tendency to prefer individuals who are like us?

Each week, we will share a “did you know…”  from The What If I Was Wrong? Educator’s Guide. This guide is intended for teachers, community workers and group leaders working with young people. The purpose of this tool is to help them organize activities in their communities that will allow participants to move forward in a process of self-discovery, discovery of others, and exploration of the world around them.
More information on this guide

Stay tuned for our next “Did you know…” !

¹ Gil DIESENDRUCK, Essentialism: The Development of a Simple, But Potentially Dangerous, Idea, dans : Mahzarin Banaji, et Susan Gelman, Navigating The Social World: What Infants, Children, And Other Species Can Teach Us, New York (NY, É.-U.), Oxford University Press, 2013, p. 263-268.