Community Cohesion in Crisis? New Dimensions of Diversity and Difference

摘要

Academic writings and government policies on "community cohesion" are prolific. These documents have tended to emerge in response to discourses of loss, fragmentation, and disengagement that are often attributed to globalization, neoliberalism, and consumerism. The theme of Flint and Robinson's book, as the title implies, is no different. The research reported in the book reflects upon the "street disturbances" in northern parts of England in 2001 and subsequent events such as the later bomb attacks in London. The British Government responded by producing policies on "community cohesion" with the aim to normalize behavior in accordance with accepted standards of "Britishness," national identity, and citizenship. This "commonness" is supposed to produce trust and familiarity between disparate groups and thereby reduce the risks attached to civil unrest and "deviant" behaviors. The community cohesion policies of the Government mark the site of "community" as being both the problem and the solution.