Introduction

Abstract

Over the past two decades, the role of education in promoting social cohesion has preoccupied the minds of policymakers and educationalists, who are under increasing pressure to address various perceived threats to social integration, including increased pluralism, individualism, multiculturalism, civic apathy, immigration and ethno-religious and civil conflict. Education is under increasing pressure to promote inclusion and cohesion in the school, the local community, and the society as a whole. Despite the proliferation of literature and research on various aspects of social cohesion, there is little clarity in policy and academic discussions as to the definition of the term and as to how education can promote social cohesion (Green et al. 2003). This book aims to contribute to this discussion by presenting case studies from different countries. It explores the impact of a variety of elements and covers some of the main areas of debate in the field:including faith schooling, citizenship education and the challenges associated with promoting social cohesion in multicultural and post-conflict communities. However, before delving into the content of the book, I shall address the rationale for adopting the term “social cohesion”, which may be seen by some as a vague term (Green et al. 2003). This rationale explains the diversity of topics covered in this book.