Cultural and religious diversity in Dutch society has increased in recent decades. Underlying this increase are, among other things, the disappearance of the pillar society, secularisation and migration. This raises numerous new questions about the nature, extent and development of this diversity, how to deal with it and how to limit the social conflicts that may arise from it. In particular, the incompatibility between the values of liberal democracy and those of fundamentalist religions raises tensions. It is necessary to find methods that invite individuals and groups to live together peacefully despite differences. Three types of questions can be distinguished here. The first type of question concerns explanations for the emergence of tensions, such as contradictions between group values or individual values and values of Dutch society. The second type of question concerns solution directions for preventing and limiting tensions between groups. Can education play a role here, for example, and what opportunities should be exploited? Are there examples from the past that can be applied again now? The third type of question specifically concerns explaining and preventing the development of extremist ideology.
Connecting character
The question of promoting social cohesion in a diverse society can only be answered in an interdisciplinary context. This requires expertise in the fields of sociology, law, religious studies, history, education science, philosophy, pedagogy and psychology. For such a broad interdisciplinary collaboration, this topic presents numerous challenges, as links must be made between diverse topics and various working solution strategies must be sought. The questions range in character from fundamental, such as questions about processes that promote group formation, to highly applied. As this question is common to many societies, international research on it is a requirement.
