Home Grown Talent Seminars@CMIST - James Laurence - Is it Diversity or Segregation (or both) that is Harmful for Social Cohesion? A Preliminary Investigation
| Dates: | 10 February 2015 |
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| Times: | 12:00 - 13:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Social Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | Current University students, University staff |
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| Speaker: | James Laurence |
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The Home Grown Talent Seminars@CMIST events showcase the work of Manchester-based early career researchers. In this instalment, which will is held ay lunchtime, James Laurence (CMIST, Sociology) will talk about his ongoing research.
Title: "Is it Diversity or Segregation (or both) that is Harmful for Social Cohesion? A Preliminary Investigation"
Abstract: A significant volume of research has explored how living in diverse communities affects social cohesion. However, only more recently have studies begun examining the role of segregation in this relationship. Given that with no ethnic diversity there can be no segregation, but that highly diverse communities can be highly segregated or highly integrated, examining the role of segregation is crucial. The aim of this study is therefore to re-examine the competing theories of the threat and contact hypotheses for diversity’s effect on social cohesion, but from a segregation-perspective. Instead of being competing hypotheses, we suggest that with increasing diversity both processes of threat and contact may occur. However, which process assumes dominance in a community will depend upon its level of segregation. We contend that in more homogeneous communities, levels of segregation will have little effect. However, living in diverse and segregated communities will have a negative effect on cohesion (via processes of threat) while living in a diverse and integrated community will have a positive effect on cohesion (via processes of contact). In other words, the effect of community diversity will be moderated by how segregated the community is.
All welcome!
Light lunch provided.
Speaker
James Laurence
Role: Research Associate
Organisation: University of Manchester
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
2.07
Humanities Bridgeford Street
Manchester
