Description

Abstract: 

Social cohesion is widely recognized as a desirable goal in law- and policy-making. At a general level, there is some agreement that “social cohesion” involves ideas of inclusion, equality, communal trust, public order, collective participation toward a shared vision, and the sense of identity and belonging. These considerations may implicate a range of concrete issues including gender discrimination, income inequality, access to justice and healthcare, and religious harmony. Social cohesion, therefore, may involve complex fiscal, economic, and public order considerations, as well as questions about the boundaries of fundamental rights, governmental accountability, and the role of judicial review. This Workshop will discuss the concept of social cohesion and how it is conceived, operationalized, and regulated through judicial decision-making and reasoning. In doing so, it aims to develop a contextualized understanding of the role of judges in approaching and adjudicating social cohesion. Beyond the academic discourse, the Workshop also seeks to strengthen the network of judicial-academia engagement on significant issues implicating the law and society in Asia.

Project Co-PIs:  

• Associate Professor Dian AH Shah (National University of Singapore)
• Dr Mario Gomez (Executive Director at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES))

This project is proudly supported by the Centre for Asian Legal Studies (CALS).

For more information about this workshop, please write in to cals@nus.edu.sg