Cluster 1 focuses on RISC’s first key question about concepts and theories of social cohesion.
Within this cluster, the researchers investigate which concepts of cohesion are being developed in different societies, how publicly the idea of cohesion is debated and argued within these societies, and what are the political consequences of different concepts of cohesion. These questions are particularly pressing for complex, systemically, and culturally differentiated societies, as the conditions for cohesion within them seem precarious. Shared religious and cultural values, which are often evoked as conditions for social cohesion, are often only present in pluralistic societies within certain milieus. Furthermore, the perception of an increasing inequality in life conditions and opportunities has raised doubts about the economic integration power within society. This diagnosis raises two interrelated questions: what alternative sources of cohesion are present in pluralistic societies, and which could be tapped into through political intervention? Cluster 1 investigates these questions and, combining theoretical reflection and theory-based empirical research, focuses on the conceptual foundations; the political, socioeconomic, and cultural requirements; and the political negotiation of social cohesion in contemporary societies.
Research Areas in Cluster 1: Concepts, Theories, and Semantics; Democracy and the General Public; Conflict and Security; and Social Plurality
In Cluster 1, the first research area deals explicitly with the basic concept, theories, and semantics of cohesion. The projects in this area focus on elucidating our understanding of social cohesion, the varied typology of cohesion, and the mapping of the semantic environment in which the concept operates. The three additional research areas trace the tenuous relationship between social cohesion and various basic characteristics of modern societies while examining how this framework affects our understanding of cohesion and the related sources, effects, and threats. The second research area concerns democracy and the general public and brings together projects that analyse the importance of democratic attitudes, processes, and institutions for social cohesion and examine the closely related role of public discourse. The third research area examines conflict and security, including projects that analyse the ambivalent relationship between security and cohesion while asking under what conditions do social conflicts jeopardize cohesion, and when do they develop a productive force that creates trust and strengthens cohesion. Lastly, the fourth research area brings together projects that deal with various axes of social plurality – with regard to gender, religion, origin, or culture, for example – and examines how they are thematized and instrumentalized politically within the context of cohesion discourses.
Cluster 1 is coordinated by the Frankfurt office.