MOBILITY AND SOCIAL COHESION

A feature of modern society is its mobility. It manifests itself in various forms - spatial and social, virtual and real, voluntary and forced. The essence of all types of mobility is to cause various changes. They include flows of information, ideas, things, resources and people. Different forms of mobility are the cause and effect of climate, economic, political and social change. In this way, they contribute to changes in all spheres of individual and collective life. This ubiquitous and multiple mobility and the associated variability may be perceived as a threat to the quality and durability of interpersonal bonds, as well as to social cohesion. We draw on the achievements of researchers and social practitioners who conduct their research and related social practices within the new mobility paradigm (Sheller and Urry 2006; Urry 2009; Sheller 2018), but also within the transformative (Mertens 2021) and other related paradigms. Their common aspect is the view of mobility as a factor of expected changes.

Social cohesion can be broadly described as the presence of the following characteristics and attitudes in a given community: shared values, shared experiences, civic participation, mutual help, trust in others, social networks, social order, acceptance of diversity, well-being. We can also define social cohesion more precisely and narrowly as a high quality of social cooperation that results in lasting social relations, a positive emotional bond between its members and the community, and a clear focus on the common good. In short, a cohesive community is distinguished by following common rules, maintaining positive relationships and sharing resources (Bazuń, Kwiatkowski 2022).

We invite you to a scientific discussion on the relationship between various forms of mobility and social cohesion or its individual components.

• What are the interrelationships between mobility and social cohesion?
• Does mobility threaten social cohesion?
• What types of mobile social practices can strengthen social cohesion?
• How to conduct research on the relationship between mobility and social cohesion?
• How can mobile learning contribute to strengthening social cohesion?

The session organizers will strive to obtain the possibility of publishing the best articles in renowned scientific journals as part of the thematic issue (e.g. "Mobilities").

CO-ORGANIZERS

Co-organizers of session number three:

Mariusz Kwiatkowski, University of Zielona Góra

Margarida Pocinho, University of Madeira

Alastair Roy, University of Central Lancashire

Literature

• Bazuń, D. and Kwiatkowski, M. (2022), Exploratory walks and local cohesion, “Mobilities”