Routledge Handbook of Social Cohesion in Africa

Routledge Handbook of Social Cohesion in Africa explores the meaning of social cohesion in an African context, comparing and historicizing empirical findings from across the continent as well as prioritizing African knowledges in interrogating institutional actors and policy environments.Social cohesion is closely associated with processes of peacebuilding and development, and many scholars and international institutions consider it a precondition, or necessary component, for the building of resilient collectives or institutions.However, the term remains vague and difficult to pin down, and it has been criticized as serving a pacifying and even anti-political function in certain contexts.There is an empirical gap when it comes to studying how the concept is approached in and for the African continent.Drawing on cutting-edge original research, this handbook addresses the empirical, intellectual, and pragmatic complexities and limitations, as well as affordances, of social cohesion and r