Research at Radboud Social Cultural Research
At Radboud Social Cultural Research, we aim to understand the intersecting processes that lead to unjust inequalities in societies to contribute to their reduction.
Changing Inequalities
We study intersecting inequalities based on social-cultural identities and economic differences, including sex, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status and class, religion, age, ethnicity, migration- and cultural background. Contexts in which we do research include education, labor markets, politics, families, NGO’s and communities, analyze the factors that contribute to differences within and across countries. We explore how institutions and social interactions affect intersectional inequalities in people’s access to social, cultural, economic, political and natural resources, as well as in their opportunities for education, employment and livelihoods, health and wellbeing, citizenship and sense of belonging. We examine how people's embeddedness and participation in (in)formal organisations and networks shapes inequalities, and how inequalities evolve in response to climate change, migration and demographic developments.
Research themes
Our research spans five themes:
- Persisting structures of inequality
- Interventions to reduce inequalities
- Migration: belonging and cohesion
- Climate change: sustainable human–nature relations
- Demographic developments: wellbeing and (in)formal care
In the first theme, we study which inequalities are maintained and (re)produced through which systems. In the second theme, we examine how these inequalities can be reduced with which interventions.
We also study three key societal transformations that influence the future landscape and its consequences for inequalities. We investigate changes in inequalities that result from migration – and its effects on cohesion; climate change – and its effects on human-nature relations; and demographic developments – and the consequences for care.
Societal impact
By focusing on inequalities and their transformation in the face of major societal and environmental challenges, our research demonstrates strong societal relevance. To contribute to the reduction of inequalities, researchers at RSCR strive to co-create and share knowledge with public and private organisations. We cooperated with and advised Slachtofferhulp Nederland, Dutch Ministries and Municipalities, the World Bank, NGOs in Indonesia, Water Boards, the Liliane Fonds, Discriminatie.nl and the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP). We engage in public debates and media discussions on topics like migration, poverty, (gender) inequality, aid effectiveness, sustainability, climate justice and labour market discrimination.
Research methods
We apply a broad range of methods: from classic methods like surveys and (focusgroup) interviews to innovative methods such as participatory and arts-based methods, stochastic actor-oriented models, large language models and natural language processing. We have expertise on qualitative methods such as action-oriented and ethnographic methods as well as state-of-the-art quantitative methods such as analyses of big, webscraped data and longitudinal survey methods.
Our interdisciplinary approach
We contribute empirical data, rigorous analysis and theoretical insights to the disciplines of sociology, cultural anthropology and development studies, and gender and diversity studies, as well as to related disciplines such as political science and social geography. Our (inter)disciplinary approach fosters innovative contributions to theories and concepts of (collective) agency, systemic change, cohesion and polarization, inclusion and exclusion, intersectionality, social mobility, belonging, identities, diversity, power relations, human-nature relations and care and wellbeing.
Education
Research Master's programme
The Social and Cultural Science programme combines insights from the disciplines of sociology, anthropology, development studies, political science and communication science.