Interethnic friendships under ethnically segregated education pathways in Malaysia
Published:
Ethnic homophily in plural societies leads to ethnic segregation and the perpetuation of social inequalities. The Contact Hypothesis posits that intergroup contact can reduce prejudice and improve interethnic relations. This paper examines how intergroup contact in national schools and the lack thereof in ethnically homogenous schools affects the extent of homophily in the friendship networks of Malaysian university students. Malaysia offers a unique context to study interethnic relations in a plural society due to ethnic segregation in education pathways. Utilising moderation analysis of the ethnic homophily terms in an egocentric exponential random graph model (ERGM), I find evidence that attending national secondary schools, is associated with lower levels of ethnic homophily. On the other hand, attending ethnically homogenous schools do not amplify homophilic tendencies. These findings suggest that friendship formation at university is affected by experiences in both primary and secondary school, implying that contact effects are enduring.