Thomas Pettigrew, research professor of social psychology, has been selected by the International Academy of Intercultural Research (IAIR) to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the group's sixth biennial conference in Honolulu in August 2009.
The honor is the latest for Pettigrew, an internationally recognized expert on racism and intergroup relations.
"Tom has been a major figure in the furthering of a more equitable society by his research, writing, and persuasiveness," said Dan Landis, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Mississippi and executive director of the IAIR. "Nobody can say that they are conversant with research on ethnic relations, both domestically and internationally, and not have mastered Tom's extensive and amazing bibliography. Santa Cruz is fortunate to have him on the faculty, and he is a wonderful resource for your students."
Pettigrew's pathbreaking contributions include demonstrating that racism is largely a matter of conformity to social norms and as such can be changed. He has studied intergroup relations for more than five decades. For the past 20 years, his research has focused on race relations in Europe.
