Social cohesion

Social cohesion is a term used in social policy, sociology and political science to describe the bonds or "glue" that bring people together in society, particularly in the context of cultural diversity. Social cohesion is a multi-faceted notion covering many different kinds of social phenomena. It is associated with theories of sociological structural functionalism and political conservatism. It is sometimes also used as a euphemism for the state of race relations and is closely related to the concept of Housing inequality

Social cohesion has become an important theme in British social policy in the period since the disturbances in Britain's Northern mill towns (Oldham, Bradford and Burnley) in the summer of 2001 (see Oldham riots, Bradford riots, Burnley riots). In investigating these, academic Ted Cantle drew heavily on the concept of social cohesion, and the New Labour government (particularly then Home Secretary David Blunkett) in turn widely promoted the notion. As the Runnymede Trust noted in their "The Year of Cohesion" in 2003:

"If there has been a key word added to the Runnymede lexicon in 2002, it is cohesion. A year from publication of the report of the Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain, the Cantle, Denham, Clarke, Ouseley and Ritchie reports moved cohesion to the forefront of the UK race debate."^[1]

According to the government-commissioned, State of the English Cities thematic reports, there are five different dimensions of social cohesion: material conditions, passive relationships, active relationships, inclusion and equality.

• The report shows that material conditions are fundamental to social cohesion, particularly employment, income, health, education and housing. Relations between and within communities suffer when people lack work and endure hardship, debt, anxiety, low self-esteem, ill-health, poor skills and bad living conditions. These basic necessities of life are the foundations of a strong social fabric and important indicators of social progress.
• The second basic tenet of cohesion is social order, safety and freedom from fear, or "passive social relationships". Tolerance and respect for other people, along with peace and security, are hallmarks of a stable and harmonious urban society.
• The third dimension refers to the positive interactions, exchanges and networks between individuals and communities, or "active social relationships". Such contacts and connections are potential resources for places since they offer people and organisations mutual support, information, trust and credit of various kinds.
• The fourth dimension is about the extent of social inclusion or integration of people into the mainstream institutions of civil society. It also includes people's sense of belonging to a city and the strength of shared experiences, identities and values between those from different backgrounds.
• Lastly, social equality refers to the level of fairness or disparity in access to opportunities or material circumstances, such as income, health or quality of life, or in future life chances.

Analysts at the credit rating agency Moody's have also introduced the possibility of adding social cohesion as a formal rating into their sovereign debt indices.^[2]

In 2011 a former advisor to Rt Hon John Denham MP launched a new web resource including material focused on the future of the 'cohesion' debate entitled www.theprincipledsociety.com

See also

• Asabiyyah
• Social capital
• Social contract
• Community cohesion
• Structural cohesion
• Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft
• Social solidarity
• Centre for Social Cohesion

References

1. ^ Berkeley, Rob (2003) (pdf), The Year of Cohesion, http://www.runnymedetrust.org/uploads/projects/communityCohesion/theYearOfCohesion.pdf, retrieved 03 February 2010 
2. ^ Tett, Gillian, (January 8, 2010). "Future funding strategies could prove a test of patriotism". Financial Times. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6e63d044-fbf6-11de-9c29-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1. Retrieved January 12, 2010. 

This sociology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Sociological terms Social psychology Community Sectarian violence Cultural politics Sociology stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? East Air Antagonist (medical) Look at other dictionaries: social cohesion — tendency of individuals in a group to bond with one another …   English contemporary dictionary social cohesion — /soʊʃəl koʊˈhiʒən/ (say sohshuhl koh heezhuhn) noun the quality of a society which enables its members to act in a concerted way, often seen as the result of a high level of shared culture …   International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe — Infobox IMISCOE name = International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe image size = 150px caption = type = Network Of Excellence acronyms = IMISCOE head = Prof. Rinus Penninx, Scientific Coordinator status = active established …   Wikipedia Centre for Social Cohesion — Le Centre for Social Cohesion est un think tank britannique, situé à Londres, et classé à droite par la presse britannique, notamment la BBC et The Guardian. Portail de la politique …   Wikipédia en Français Social capital — is a concept in business, economics, organizational behaviour, political science, public health, sociology and natural resources management that refers to connections within and between social networks. Though there are a variety of related… …   Wikipedia Cohesion — may refer to: Cohesion (chemistry), the intermolecular attraction between like molecules Cohesion (computer science), a measure of how well the lines of source code within a module work together Cohesion (geology), the part of shear strength that …   Wikipedia Social determinants of health — are the economic and social conditions under which people live which determine their health. They are societal risk conditions , rather than individual risk factors that either increase or decrease the risk for a disease, for example for… …   Wikipedia Social solidarity — refers to the integration, and degree and type of integration, shown by a society or group. Collins Dictionary of Sociology , p621.] It refers to the ties in a society social relations that bind people to one another. Solidarity is commonly… …   Wikipedia Social theory — Social analysis redirects here. For the journal, see Social Analysis (journal). Sociology …   Wikipedia Social economy — refers to a third sector in economies between the private sector and business or, the public sector and government. It includes organisations such as cooperatives, non governmental organisations and charities. Social economy: a third sector in… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”