Henri Tajfel

About the Author

Henri Tajfel (1919-1982) was a pioneering Polish-born social psychologist whose groundbreaking research on social identity and intergroup relations profoundly shaped the field of social psychology. Fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe as a teenager, Tajfel survived the Holocaust and later pursued academic studies in Paris and Bristol, where he became a professor at the University of Bristol. His work emphasized how group memberships influence prejudice, discrimination, and conflict, introducing the social identity theory that explains the human tendency to favor in-groups over out-groups. Tajfel's influential book, Social Identity and Intergroup Relations (European Studies in Social Psychology, Series Number 7), compiles key essays that continue to inform studies on diversity, bias, and social cohesion worldwide. A compassionate thinker, he dedicated his career to understanding and mitigating the roots of intergroup hostility.