BharatNotes Cohesion
noun (uncountable)Usage in a UPSC answer
A federal polity endures not through the coercive centralisation of power but through the social and political cohesion that binds diverse linguistic and religious communities into a shared constitutional fellowship.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
cohesion (n), cohesive (adj), cohesively (adv), cohesiveness (n), cohere (v), coherent (adj)
Root
Latin co- = together + haerere = to stick → cohaerere = to cleave together; partly via French cohésion
Etymology
Late 17th century, from Latin cohaes- 'cleaved together' (verb cohaerere, from co- 'together' + haerere 'to stick'), partly via French cohésion, on the pattern of adhesion.
Memory Hook
Co- (together) + adHESION (sticking) = sticking together; think of "co-adhesion" forces that make a group cohere as one.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The condition of a society holding together, sustained by shared institutions, trust and a sense of common belonging. It is the outcome the Preamble's fraternity clause aims at, and the point that lifts a GS1 answer is that cohesion does not require uniformity: a diverse society can be highly cohesive if its institutions are seen as fair by all groups. Perceived fairness, not sameness, is what does the work.
Don’t Confuse It With
Cohesion is the holding together of a society. Homogeneity is similarity of composition, which cohesion does not require. Integration is the process of bringing groups into common arrangements. Polarisation is the opposing movement, in which groups harden against one another.
Hindi Meaning
सामाजिक एकजुटता (sāmājik ekjutatā) or समेकन (samekan).
Common Questions
- What is social cohesion?
- The condition of a society holding together through shared institutions, mutual trust and a sense of common belonging.
- Does social cohesion require cultural uniformity?
- No. A diverse society can be highly cohesive where its institutions are perceived as fair by all groups, so fairness rather than sameness sustains it.
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