ABSTRACT
Diversity can produce intergroup hostilities. As a result, some states seek to remove it by homogenising society and eliminating differences. Accommodating diversity while still achieving social cohesion is more difficult. In this chapter, we discuss some barriers to social cohesion, citing factors such as economic and cultural competition, anomie in a time of rapid change, and the tendency to stick to a group (“homophily”). We propose an appreciation of diversity, not viewing it as a threat but as a building block in a larger, more inclusive national identity. We also propose a framework for thinking about differences between contextual diversity and network diversity. While contextual diversity may pose a threat to unity—precipitated by the growth of new groups—network diversity does not. It refers to the network of ties that connect people from different backgrounds. As we see it, network diversity has the potential to soften, if not remove, the conflicts deriving from contextual diversity.
