"Social cohesion" is a concept that appears in many different contexts – often in situations where it is argued that social cohesion is challenged, which is reflected in debates about everything from urban development, digitalisation and the future of Danish society.

"The concept of social cohesion plays a crucial role in our understanding of the social world. Researchers measure it across groups and countries. Politicians see it as the key to, for example, inclusion and social sustainability. And reports show that ordinary people greatly fear that the social cohesion of our society is about to break. Still, it is unclear what 'social cohesion' actually is, how it manifests itself at different levels, and how it relates to other social phenomena," says Nicolai Krejberg Knudsen, assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas at Aarhus University.

He has just received a grant of DKK 11.2 million to investigate the concept of "social cohesion" – a so-called starting grant from the European Research Council. A grant that is awarded to young, promising research talents. The research project is called "The Glue of Society: A Social Ontology of Social Cohesion (GLUE)".

A philosophical project with societal significance 
GLUE is a philosophical research project that will consist of two parts. The first part clarifies the concept of social cohesion by examining what type of social interaction the concept refers to, which will also include a mapping of how social interaction relates to other related phenomena such as trust, empathy, recognition and equality.

The second part of the project, according to Nicolaj Krejberg Knudsen, is more critical and examines the value of social cohesion.

"Although social cohesion is often associated with something positive, it is unclear whether social cohesion is a good thing in itself, or whether it can actually be bad. Can a society with high social cohesion at the same time be characterized by injustices such as marginalization, oppression and discrimination? This question is crucial for how the term should be used. Many people celebrate social cohesion as a political goal in itself, but if social cohesion can also be bad, it is important to shed light on it," he says and elaborates:

"Because without a good concept of social cohesion, it is unclear what we actually measure when we try to measure social cohesion, and what we actually invest in when we try to increase social cohesion through various political initiatives."

A research project with contributions to a specific branch of philosophy

The expectations for the project are also that it will improve the social theoretical toolbox by developing better and clearer concepts.

"Over the past 30 years, social ontology has made great strides in conceptualizing the human ability to form and form small groups. However, it is unclear whether we can use the same concepts to understand the type of interaction and collaboration that is necessary to maintain cohesive societies," explains Nicolai Krejberg Knudsen.

The project thus also contributes to social ontology – the branch of philosophy that tries to map the basic structure of the social world.

Facts about The Starting Grant
ERC (European Research Council), or the European Research Council, annually awards 5 types of grants to researchers employed at a European university. Starting Grants (StG) are awarded to young, promising research talents for up to two years and seven years after obtaining a PhD degree. Up to EUR 1.5 million will be allocated to ground-breaking research projects over a five-year period.

Read more here: https://erc.europa.eu/apply-grant/starting-grant
 

Contact
Nicolai Krejberg Knudsen, Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy and History of Ideas
School of Culture and Society
Aarhus University
Mail: knudsen@cas.au.dk
Phone: +45 87159681