Interest in the notion of social cohesion as a policy tool re-emerged in the mid-1990s when the governments of Canada, France and Britain and a number of international organisations – OECD (1997), the Council of Europe (2000, 2001, 2004), the Club of Rome (Berger, 1998), UNESCO (2002) and others – began to use this concept in their policy documents. Initial concerns were prompted by fear of the impact of globalisation and other aspects of economic change; subsequently the war on terror and concern over the loyalty of Muslim populations have fuelled discussion of the dynamics of social cohesion. This chapter reviews and assesses the work that has been done internationally in defining this new conceptual framework and discusses areas of concurrence and disagreement.

Definitions of social cohesion

Social cohesion as a concept has a long tradition in academic enquiry and occupies a central place in traditional sociological debate on the role of consensus versus conflict in society. Émile Durkheim (1964/1893) studied the societal ability to remain connected throughout various stages of development, proceeding from mechanical solidarity, applicable to the commonality of experience of members of pre-industrial societies, to organic solidarity of the modern world, characterised by complexity and differentiation, with unity maintained through centralised government and a uniform legal system. Durkheim's novel conceptions of solidarism (1964/1893), anomie (2002/1897) and alienation served to envision a stable society based on shared consciousness and sustainable cooperation instead of violence and conflict. Max Weber (1930/1905) showed the importance of ideas and collective values for social development.