B_01 Milieu Conflicts and Social Cohesion

Within the context of the first research focus of Research Area B, this work package (WP) examines the effects of socioeconomic and cultural divisions on social cohesion using the concept of social milieus. It subjects the hypothesis of a “drifting apart of society” to a systematic social-scientific assessment from the perspective of social groups. By investigating milieu conflicts, the WP contributes to the broader question of how cohesion among unequal groups—understood in terms of social, economic, and cultural differences—is possible. It assumes that cohesion within social milieus differs conceptually from cohesion between social milieus. While the former can be captured through the “ingredients” of social integration, the latter also involves interest mediation and compromise as well as mutual recognition and understanding.

Social milieus are latent large-scale groups whose members share similar positions in the social structure and fundamental values, and who cultivate specific forms of cohesion. The overlap of economic, social, and cultural inequalities and their condensation into social milieus generate conflict potential that increases the more strongly the respective milieus differ, demarcate themselves from one another, and attempt to impose their practices and conceptions as the hegemonic model of social cohesion. The form and extent of such milieu conflicts over the “right” model of social cohesion also influence whether cohesion is available as a resource for coping with societal transformations (loyalty), or whether divisions and polarization deepen (voice), potentially culminating in the withdrawal of individual milieus from overarching societal goals (exit).

The overarching question of cohesion among unequal groups is specified along the following dimensions:

Conflictual Milieu Differentiation and Societal Transformation:This dimension examines how milieu-specific practices and conceptions of social cohesion relate to sociopolitical orientations and are reflected in differing preferences regarding the management of societal crises and transformation processes. Specifically, we analyze conflict potentials between social milieus along political cleavages, with a focus on socio-ecological transformation (climate awareness and environmental behavior), the gender order (in cooperation with WP B_02), and the post-migrant society (attitudes toward migration and integration).

Relations Between Milieus and Group Evaluation:Second, the WP addresses segmentation and social closure between milieus, as well as the evaluation of social groups. It examines the extent to which the socioeconomic distributional order shapes evaluations of social groups and whether contact between status-unequal groups can foster better mutual understanding and have cohesion-enhancing effects.

Contextual Variation and Developmental Dynamics:Although the milieu model is initially designed as a large-group differentiation within the nation-state context, it can also be applied to finer distinctions, such as East–West differences, migration histories, or life phases and age groups (youth milieus). Cross-national and longitudinal comparisons further allow for analyses of the relationship between milieu conflicts and indicators of cohesion—such as trust, satisfaction with democracy, or political stability—across different national contexts and at different points in time (for example, during different crises).