Across Europe the protection of 'social cohesion' has become an important political objective. This book draws attention to the connection between the cohesive society and the active society. It explores France, Germany and the United Kingdom and challenges the claim that the active conduct of problematic populations can save society from collapse.
"Jan Dobbernack tells an important story, going deeply into how governments have constructed social crises and imposed certain declinist social imaginaries, which had as their solution an 'active society' discourse used to justify their policies. It is a relevant contribution to understanding, both from academic and policy perspectives, the uses of cohesion imaginaries." (Bruno Castanho Silva, European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology, Vol. 2 (3-4), March, 2016)