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Current Issues in Intercultural Pragmatics
Edited by István Kecskés and Stavros Assimakopoulos
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 274] 2017
► pp. 159–179

Chapter 7
Auto- and hetero-stereotypes in the mutual perception of Germans and Spaniards

| Berlin University of the Arts
| Berlin University of the Arts

This paper presents the results of the first part of a comparative qualitative study on cultural stereotypes in the self- and mutual perception of Germans and Spaniards at the beginning and in the course of the European debt crisis. The first round of research at the beginning of the crisis showed that this mutual perception is characterised by primarily positive images. Self-perception is in both cases, but especially for the Germans, more critical than the perception of the respective other group. This seems to stand in conflict with the functions of stereotypes that Alexander Thomas (2006) put forth in consonance with Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner 1986).

Keywords: stereotypes, prejudice, Germany, Spain, European debt crisis
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Stereotypes: Definition, origins, functions
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Recruitment of participants
    • 3.2Questionnaire
    • 3.3Interview settings and interview technique
    • 3.4Methodology critique
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Comparison of auto- and hetero-stereotypes with respect to Spaniards
    • 4.2Comparison of auto- and hetero-stereotypes with respect to Germans
  • 5.Conclusion and future prospects
  • References
Published online: 14 June 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.274.08hab
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