Community cohesion

“Community Cohesion emphasises the importance of communities sharing a common vision and sense of belonging, as well as understanding of the diverse backgrounds and circumstances of the members of the community.”

In the UK, Community Cohesion as a concept has been defined in different ways. In short, cohesive communities are seen as communities where there is a common vision for the community and a sense of belonging to that community shared by all its members with respect and understanding of their diverse backgrounds and circumstances. A cohesive community also displays strong and positive relationships between its members and similar life opportunities are actively promoted. Community Cohesion can help different groups within a community to live together in harmony. Community Cohesion draws on concepts such as social capital and contact theory for its application. Intercultural dialogue can bring about increased community cohesion by giving people a space where they can share and exchange views and ideas relating to their community.

For more information, visit www.cohesioninstitute.org.uk.

Literature review of ICD related concepts (127.52KB)