Stereotypes and hate crimes in the light of an Indian context

Abstract

Stereotypes are most generally defined as “beliefs about the characteristics, attributes, and behaviours of members of certain groups”. Stereotypes are as old as humanity and today they have become a common phenomenon in cultures around the world. It is a cognitive construct based on the processing of perceptual information. Research indicates that stereotypes can imply both positive and negative ideas. A negative perspective based on some kind of generalisation paves way to prejudices and bias which then may influence people to commit crimes known as hate crimes. Hate crimes can be defined as crime, most commonly violence motivated by prejudice, bias, or hatred toward a particular group of which the victim is presumed to be a member. A comprehensive search of the literature was performed on books, journals and other credible online internet websites. This study reviewed the literature on the activation of stereotypes, the models used to explain bias, the relationship between stereotypes and hate crimes. Finally, research incorporating useful interventions for prejudice reduction.