Exclusionary cohesion? Rethinking the nexus between social cohesion and xenophobic violence in South Africa
For years, social cohesion has been championed as a remedy for violence and division. But what happens when the very bonds that unite communities also mobilise them against outsiders?
This new publication by Dr Jean-Pierre Misago (ACMS) draws on nearly two decades of multi-case qualitative research across South Africa, this article challenges the conventional wisdom. It introduces the concept of “exclusionary cohesion”, a process whereby bonding cohesion, when combined with severe socio-economic deprivation, migration-induced diversity, and weak local governance, becomes a driver of xenophobic violence rather than a solution.
