Beelden van Nederlandse kinderen over Duitsland en de Duitsers

Samenvatting

Dutch Children's Images of Germany and the Germans. Attitude surveys conducted 1993-1995 by the Clingendael Instit in the Netherlands have shown that Dutch children predominantly speak critically about the Federal Republic of Germany and the Germans, but fail to clarify their motives. The epistemological starting point that images about other countries and people are social constructs that are negotiated in concrete interaction situations and are therefore not immutable, was used in several small-scale investigations. In group discussions and other quasi-natural situations, students (N = 143, ages 11-18) expressed how they felt about Germany and the Germans. Results confirm the negative images, but also reveal that they are being modified by moral stances against stereotyping in general, especially by older generations. Dutch parents, schools, and media are held responsible for the persistence of negative attitudes, because they allow feelings about the German occupation during WWII to color their current views. 23 References. Adapted from the source document.