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Integration, cohesion and national identity: Theoretical reflections on recent British policy

Integration, cohesion and national identity: Theoretical reflections on recent British policy
Integration, cohesion and national identity: Theoretical reflections on recent British policy
Recent policy documents in Britain that have emphasized the importance of integration can be understood as addressing the question of what conditions are required in order to achieve and sustain a just society. The answer they give is that minority cultural groups need to be integrated into society, and that this involves community cohesion, secured through ‘meaningful contact’, and sharing a national identity based on common values. Here, it is argued that although meaningful contact between members of different cultural groups may promote trust between them, this does not warrant the key role which has been given to the idea of community cohesion. It is suggested instead that policies should aim to foster a widespread sense of belonging to the polity, and that this is not the same as sharing a national identity.
0007-1234
857-874
Mason, Andrew
6e0103d9-267a-456c-9150-256c588a5107
Mason, Andrew
6e0103d9-267a-456c-9150-256c588a5107

Mason, Andrew (2010) Integration, cohesion and national identity: Theoretical reflections on recent British policy. British Journal of Political Science, 40, 857-874. (doi:10.1017/S0007123410000104).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Recent policy documents in Britain that have emphasized the importance of integration can be understood as addressing the question of what conditions are required in order to achieve and sustain a just society. The answer they give is that minority cultural groups need to be integrated into society, and that this involves community cohesion, secured through ‘meaningful contact’, and sharing a national identity based on common values. Here, it is argued that although meaningful contact between members of different cultural groups may promote trust between them, this does not warrant the key role which has been given to the idea of community cohesion. It is suggested instead that policies should aim to foster a widespread sense of belonging to the polity, and that this is not the same as sharing a national identity.

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Published date: 18 June 2010

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 71085
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/71085
ISSN: 0007-1234
PURE UUID: 501d31c5-13c2-4f55-8c6c-fc78281043e4

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Date deposited: 14 Jan 2010
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 20:20

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Author: Andrew Mason

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