Ethnocentrism and Negative Stereotyping: An Analysis of Caste Dynamics among Rural and Urban Students in Bihar

Abstract

This paper analyses the dynamics of in-group favouritism (ethnocentrism) and out-group hostility (negative stereotyping) among school-going adolescents in Bihar, a state with a long history of caste-based conflict (Das, 2018; Heinz, n.d.; Kumar & Singh, n.d.). Drawing on data from a study of 1,400 students, the analysis reveals a dual psychological tendency: a "very high degree of ethnocentric perception," where students rate their own caste favourably, coexisting with "quite obvious" negative stereotyping of other caste groups (Kumar & Singh, n.d.). A central focus of this paper is the significant difference in these attitudes based on geographic location. The findings indicate that students from rural areas exhibit substantially higher levels of negative stereotyping, prejudice, and religiosity compared to their urban counterparts (Kumar & Singh, n.d.). This rural-urban divide suggests that while caste identity remains a powerful force for all students, the social environment of rural Bihar acts as a potent incubator for traditional prejudices and inter-group animosity, challenging the notion that casteism is uniformly declining with modernization.