“I can't breathe”—Political plasticity, peace, and justice.

The death of George Floyd, an African-American man killed by White police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, 2020, has reenergized the movement against police brutality—in the United States and across the globe. But this killing also highlights a disturbing puzzle: Why has violence against African Americans continued in the 21st century? The Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in the United States in 1862, but African Americans continue to suffer deep injustices in the 21st century. Why is change toward equal justice so slow? Similarly, American women won the right to vote in 1920, but a century later we still have not had a woman in the White House. Women continue to be grossly underrepresented at the highest levels of business and politics, where the power lies. Why is change toward gender equality so slow? Moreover, why do women and minorities continue to face inequalities in so many different countries around the world? Questions about the painfully slow pace of change to end historic injustices place the spotlight on political plasticity, the speed and extent to which political behavior does (or does not) change (Moghaddam, 2018). For peace psychologists who believe that peace and justice are interconnected, political plasticity must become a more central focus of research and practice. By examining political plasticity, we are forced to confront the complexity of change in political behavior and political systems. Such features of political plasticity ...

Source: Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology - July 27, 2020 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research