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Community cohesion is the process of a community recognizing diversity and developing shared values. A cohesive community possesses a sense of togetherness and works towards harmony. The concept was developed after riots in England in 2001, and the government has since encouraged citizens to form a meaningful sense of belonging to a larger community encompassing diverse ethnic and cultural differences. Social solidarity and national identity can also encourage community cohesion.
Community cohesion is a sociological term coined in the aftermath of the 2001 riots in England. The term describes the process of a community making a transition from recognizing diversity to seeing itself as a community with shared values. A cohesive community is thought to possess a sense of togetherness. Community members collectively consider themselves to belong to each other.
This cohesion is defined by the presence of certain cultural values and the absence of others. A community that is collaborative and works towards harmony in resource allocation among community members can be termed cohesive. The goal is the absence of uncivilized behavior. A feeling of attachment to the community is encouraged. Immigrants are expected to eventually feel a sense of belonging to their new homeland.
Significant rioting occurred in the English cities of Bradford, Oldham and Burnley in 2001. Ted Cantle, managing director of Nottingham City Council until March of that year, is considered by some to have originated the concept of community cohesion. He has publicly stated that the voluntary segregation of minority groups was the probable cause of the uprising.
In a report by an independent team following the riot, it was noted that enforced segregation did not really exist in England. Even so, citizens of different backgrounds remained isolated from members of other different groups. This has led to a feeling of disconnection. There were no bridges spanning intercultural differences, as people’s lives rarely touched the outside island ethnic groups. According to local government officials, interpersonal tensions have increased, eventually expressed through violent acts.
Following the riots, government officials began developing a definition for community cohesion and the factors that would encourage its formation. The nation’s leaders agreed to place greater emphasis on community cohesion. This was to be accomplished by encouraging citizens to form a more meaningful sense of belonging to a larger community encompassing diverse ethnic and cultural differences. Eventually a task force was set up. The success of the concept was to be evidenced through increased cooperation of individuals from various multicultural groups, as they worked together to improve the community.
Social solidarity has traditionally been recognized as an element that gives an ethnic group a sense of tribalism and kinship. National identity is another way to encourage social solidarity and community cohesion, but it has historically been associated with negative attributes. These have included animosity against those who belong to different groups and even acts of violence perpetrated against those who do not belong to that national group.
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