Key elements of social cohesion in conflict-affected societies: a critical literature review

The concept of social cohesion has gained significant attention due to rising social tensions and divisions, driven in part by economic inequality, immigration in Western nations, and social disparities in the Global South. In conflict-affected societies, social cohesion is seen as both a key goal of peacebuilding and a means to achieve sustainable peace. However, a comprehensive synthesis of the scholarly work on the elements that constitute social cohesion in these settings remains lacking. This gap is likely due to a lack of consensus on how to define, measure, and implement social cohesion, as well as uncertainty about the key factors that contribute to it. This article provides a systematic review across the English language scholarly literature on social cohesion in conflict-affected societies. Further, this paper identifies two key gaps in the literature and proposes tentative research questions to guide future studies.