Keynote Speakers
Allan Bernardo
De La Salle University, Philippines
Omnicultural Notions: Enriching Constructions of Culture in Asian Social Psychology
Abstract: The Asian Association of Social Psychology and the Asian Journal of Social Psychology were established in the 1990s to promote the growth of social psychology in Asia. In its early years, this growth was manifest in research about cultural issues, drawing from cross-cultural and indigenous psychological approaches dealing with social issues and cultural phenomena that were important in specific Asian societies. In this lecture, I will call attention to more recent threads of research of Asian (and AASP) social psychologists that articulate more complex constructions of culture, which reflect intricate intercultural social experiences in Asian societies. These research threads relate to (a) processes of acculturation of individual and of changing cultural norms in societies, (b) dynamic constructions of culture including research on bicultural persons, multicultural and polycultural ideologies, and (c) orientations such as cosmopolitanism, global orientations, global consciousness, and polycultural identities. These threads shift away from essentialist views of culture (and its unintended consequences) and towards an omnicultural perspective that could engender the kinds of intercultural cooperation needed to address social, economic, and environmental sustainability.
Noraini Binti Mohd Noor
IBN Haldun University, Turkey
Loss of the Knowing-subject
Abstract: Psychology, the scientific study of the mind and behavior, considers what man does, not who he is. From soul to self to datum, what now defines man is the process of knowing. Here, the soul once believed to be sacred and something intrinsically unified and thus able to explain lesser degrees of unity in other things has now been replaced with the self—something that lacks unity and itself needs to be explained. Who then is the man? This is the question that I wish to address, how the Knowing-subject lost its soul to become a contrivance—a kind of Galilean idealization. This is man's new reality.
Magdalena Formanowicz
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Poland
Words of Power: Linguistic Agency as a Force for Shaping and Shifting Group Dynamics
Abstract: In this keynote, I explore the power of language as a window into human agency—the capacity to act with purpose and intention within social contexts. Agency is more than an individual trait; it is a socioculturally mediated force deeply embedded in social interactions, shaping and reshaping societal structures. This presentation synthesizes recent research to reveal how agency is encoded across various linguistic layers, demonstrating how language both reflects and reinforces attention to agency in group dynamics, influencing the maintenance or transformation of social arrangements. Through an analysis of research on linguistic cues—such as semantics, grammar, and metaphor—I will illustrate how agency surfaces in communication, influencing how we form and perpetuate stereotypes, perceive others, and reinforce or challenge social hierarchies. Findings from experimental studies, correlational data, and cutting-edge natural language processing show how language subtly but powerfully directs attention toward agency, prioritizing certain actors or narratives in ways that shape our responses and decisions. By examining language’s role in both reproducing and disrupting social structures, this keynote emphasizes the significance of linguistic analysis within social psychology and proposes actionable tools for researchers and policymakers alike. The goal is to encourage a deeper understanding of how language serves not only as a mirror of social order but also as a means to influence it. This presentation invites attendees to view language as a dynamic vehicle for understanding agency’s role in social perception, group dynamics, and the potential for social change.
Jolanda Jetten
The University of Queensland Australia
A social identity analysis of wealth and wealth inequality
Abstract: Wealth inequality has been shown to produce a wide range of harmful effects. Social identity theory contributes to the understanding of wealth inequality and I will present four
hypotheses derived from the social identity framework: the fit hypothesis, the wealth
categorization hypothesis, the wealth stereotyping hypothesis, and the socio-structural
hypothesis. I will examine the empirical literature that tests these hypotheses by investigating
the impact of wealth inequality—measured both objectively and subjectively—on processes
as diverse as wealth categorization (of oneself and others), the desire for more wealth and
status, intergroup hostility, prosocial behaviour, stereotyping, the demand for strong
leadership, the endorsement of conspiracy theories, and collective action intentions. I will
finish by arguing that the time has come to start thinking how social identity principles can
help us to understand how to counteract the negative impacts of wealth inequality by: (a)
spotlighting the magnitude of the wealth gap between the richest and poorest, (b) promoting a
shared identity or overarching identification to mitigate the adverse effects of wealth
inequality, and (c) bridging the intergroup divide created by inequality through fostering a
normative climate that encourages positive intergroup relations.