Social Cohesion Contested

Social cohesion has become a buzzword that obscures more than it illuminates, and it is increasingly presented as a single substance that can be measured, tracked, and compared across diverse societies. However, Dan Swain and Petr Urban argue that the term is subject to contradictory definitions and often loaded with various implicit and explicit values, which become masked behind a veneer of scientific authority and normative legitimacy. They suggest that social cohesion should be understood explicitly as a contested concept and actively subject to contestation to allow for debate and contestation around policies adopted in its name and the understanding of the social on which it rests.

Format: Hardback
Length: 156 pages
Publication date: 05 January 2024
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Social cohesion has become a major concern of states, policymakers, and researchers in recent decades, with the concept being presented as a desirable policy goal and the basis for everything from economic growth to individual well-being. However, Dan Swain and Petr Urban argue that the concept of social cohesion has become a buzzword that obscures more than it illuminates. They trace the rise of the concept through the policy agendas of transnational and international bodies and analyze the reactions of social researchers to the demands of policymakers for a clear and operationalizable concept. They argue that the term is frequently used in a way that assumes broad understanding and agreement, while in practice it is subject to contradictory definitions and often loaded with various implicit and explicit values. The more that social cohesion is treated as a single substance with a clear and uncontroversial meaning, the more it narrows the space for debate and contestation around both the policies adopted in its name and the understanding of the social on which it rests. In contrast, if social cohesion is to mean anything, it ought to be understood explicitly as a contested concept and actively subject to contestation. The book thus provides not only a critique of a popular concept but an example of engaged philosophical criticism of social research and policy.

Weight: 413g
Dimension: 240 x 158 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538176627