Social cohesion

The social cohesion is, at the origin, a concept used in certain mediums in France and Belgium in the public debate. It passed today at the European level, that it is on the level of the European commission (introduced in the year 1980 in connection with Structural bases, social cohesion forms part since 2000 of the known as objectives of Lisbon over the period 2000-2010) or of the Council of Europe, equipped with a Strategy of Social cohesion and an Head office of Social cohesion. It then has a direction of solidarity between the people (European Union) and of capacity to guarantee the good being of all by avoiding the disparities by the joint responsibility of the actors (the Council of Europe). It is sometimes also employed by the persons in charge the moderate line wishing to give a social aspect to their political action without subscribing to the left-wing idea of fight against the Inégalités. One can include/understand the origin of this expression by analyzing it starting from the traditional political reference frames in France and his evolution in the light of the direction which is given to him today at the European level.

Birth of the term

Pronounced for the first time by the sociologist Emile Durkheim in his work Of the division of social work in 1893, the social cohesion is then the state of good performance of the company where expresses solidarity between individuals and the collective conscience:

“We are thus led to recognize a new reason who makes division of the labor a source of social cohesion. It does not make only the individuals interdependent, as we said up to now, because it limits the activity of each one, but still because it increases it. It increases the unit of the organization, by that only that it increases the life by it; at least, in a normal state, it does not produce one of these effects without the other. ”

A political prospect

One can regard the social cohesion as social prospect directing the action Politique. Indeed, to follow this ideal led to refuse the social Change and to be opposed to any Revolutionary design of Class struggle, rather taking the route of the Conservatism or the Reformism, a point of view of left.

However at the European level the concept refers to values of solidarity and of equity not discrimination in the access to the rights.

To have for objective the social cohesion can be connected with a Paradigme. Several authors in Social sciences follow this paradigm. It is the case of Emile Durkheim, Raymond Aron, Raymond Boudon…

Cohesion and social inequalities

Traditionally, qualified approach " of droite" in France regards the inequalities as natural. This is why it is vain, according to this approach, to want to fight against them. Social cohesion is thus in opposition to the Marxist concept of Class struggle. The political action would be directed towards the aggregation of the individuals of all conditions confused towards shared interests for thus making coexist the Inégalité S present in the company and divert the most underprivileged Classes of the Révolte. In that, the policy of social cohesion has a role of pacification and Social control.

The thought " of gauche" considers in mobility rousseauist that the inequalities are the fruit of the company. The left thus will make fight against the inequalities one of the bases of its action while the line seeks to give sufficient freedom to the individual so that he can be carried out and, incidentally, to maintain the cohesion of the Nation by preventing that the inequalities become too much shouting.

The term cohesion is used in a collective objective, even national-official. The purpose of social cohesion is thus to contribute to the balance and the good performance of the company, while the fight against the inequalities seeks on the contrary to correct the imbalances produced by the company. This concept can also indicate the possibility with each citizen of taking an active part in the company and of finding its recognition there.

However the resumption of the concept of social cohesion at the European level gives him a political direction which goes beyond this opposition. In particular by defining social cohesion as being the capacity of the company to ensure the good being of all and to avoid the disparities and polarization, the Council of Europe stresses the fight against the inequalities and all the forms of exclusion or discrimination and on the joint responsibility of actors (public authorities, citizens, companies, etc) to reach that point. This resulted in proposing an approach where the good being is defined by the citizens themselves. The Council of Europe puts in particular ahead equity in the access to the rights, the dignity and the recognition of diversity, autonomy and the personal, family and professional development and the participation and engagement citizen

National unit

The expression social cohesion is used as synonym of national unit in certain cases. Thus, one saw French nationalists diverting the expression to advance the idea that the protection of the minority Langues harmed social cohesion,… as if the language were not, historically, the first Social link.

See too

Industrial relations policy
Social cohesion plan (name of a plan launched by the French government)
Strategy of social cohesion (strategy of social cohesion of the Council of Europe)