Parental ethnic-racial socialization in Europe: A scoping review

Objectives: Children in Europe grow up in societies with high ethnic-racial diversity. It is therefore imperative to understand how they learn about ethnicity and race (ethnic-racial socialization). Knowledge on parental ethnic-racial socialization, however, is very heavily based on U.S. research, and sociohistorical and -political differences limit generalizability. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to create an overview and synthesis of research on parental ethnic-racial socialization in the European context. Methods: A preregistered scoping review was conducted following the PRIMSA-ScR guidelines. Three electronic databases (PsychInfo, ERIC, Web of Science) were searched for papers published up and till 2024. After two rounds of screening, 32 out of 1431 papers were deemed eligible and included for data extraction and synthesis. Results: The findings display an overrepresentation of Northern/Western European countries, families of immigrant or minoritized backgrounds and quantitative research on adolescence. Cultural socialization by families or immigrant or minoritized backgrounds has received the most attention. Qualitative study results furthermore describe how parental ethnic-racial socialization is shaped by developmental timing, reactive and reciprocal processes, intersecting identities, and selective engagement with cultural “others. Conclusions: The findings of this scoping review underscore both the promise and current limitations of research on parental ethnic-racial socialization in Europe. To further this research agenda, we need more systematic inclusion of underrepresented populations, greater investments in qualitative and mixed-methods designs, openness to diverse and self-identified ingroup boundaries and identity meanings, and the development of conceptualizations and measures that reflect Europe’s distinctive sociohistorical trajectories, demographic diversity, and linguistic practices.