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The Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion brings together research on the forces that shape human connection, group identity, cooperation, and conflict. Working across a range of themes and labs, we explore how people bond, why groups sometimes divide, and what helps cohesion endure in changing social worlds.

About the Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion

The Centre for the Study of Social Cohesion at the University of Oxford studies the psychology, culture, and social forces that shape human connection, conflict, cooperation, and collective action. Our research explores everything from violent extremism and football fandom to religion, ritual, and the conditions that allow groups to thrive.

Meet our team

Featured research

How does religion motivate cooperation?

By harnessing the cohesive power of religion, CSSC reserachers aim to find ways to tackle the global issues we all face

Audio | What Motivates Someone to Join the Battle in Iraq? ©ABC News/Aaron Hollett

How can we de-fuse violent extremists?

New understandings of the fusion of personal and group identities may point to ways of de-fusing violent extremists

Does football fandom provide the path to desistance?

New research to build interventions that could reduce football-related violence and harness cohesion among fans in more positive ways

Can cohesion be used to address global challenges?

One of the key areas CSSC looks at is the role ritual plays in enabling us to bond with larger and larger groups—not only with other humans, but even across the species barrier

In the media

Selected articles, essays, and commentary by CSSC researchers across the web and in the media, covering social cohesion, identity, group behaviour, and conflict.