Thomas Madsen defends his PhD thesis
Title
'The Social Psychology of Urban Policy: The Case of the ‘Parallel Society Agreement'.
Time and place
15th January 2024 at 1 pm (CET).
The defence will take place at The Faculty of Social Sciences (CSS), Auditorium 1.1.18., Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 København K.
The defence will also be streamed on Zoom.
Click here to join the defence.
Passcode: 422142.
Assessment committee
- Professor Brady Wagoner, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (chair)
- Professor Tania Zittoun, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
- Professor Paula Castro, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Supervisor
- Associate Professor Séamus Power, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstract
The thesis investigates intra- and inter-psychological processes through which meanings drawn on in urban policy are (re)produced and contested in the context of a recent Danish urban policy, the ‘parallel society agreement’ (colloquially known as the ‘ghetto laws’). The thesis draws on social representations theory and the concept of dialogicality to investigate this issue through different qualitative methods (primarily semi-structured interviews). A central contribution of the thesis was demonstrating how symbolic aspects of urban policy are related to ongoing dialogues between those in power and those in opposition. This finding highlight the polarized nature of views towards the policy issue of marginalized neighbourhoods, as well as showing how different reactions to this issue reflected different (ideological) understandings of how to improve social relations and society.
