HBKU Workshop Discusses Development of the Index of Social Cohesion Project

The team behind Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) Index of Social Cohesion project organized a workshop to discuss preliminary findings with and receive feedback from key stakeholders. 

Since August 2022, HBKU’s College of Islamic Studies (CIS), College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), College of Law, and College of Public Policy (CPP) have explored the potential for developing an Index of Social Cohesion. The initiative aims to generate comprehensive, actionable insights concerning a growing topic in the Middle East and North Africa region.
 
The workshop featured 5 presentations from research team members. Dr. Mehdi Riazi, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, CHSS, provided a comprehensive literature review on the dimensions of social cohesion. This was accompanied by a summary of key findings of a study involving 23 Qatari and non-Qatari elites on perspectives regarding and recommendations for enhancing social cohesion in Qatar.

Dr. Khalid Mubarak Alkuwari, Lecturer, College of Law, maintained the national focus with a brief report concerning social cohesion within Qatar’s legal system. For their part, Dr. Logan Cochrane, Associate Professor, CPP, provided a critical analysis of social cohesion research in the Gulf, while Dr. Wajdi Zaghouani, former Associate Professor in Digital Humanities, CHSS outlined how social media might enhance or impede social cohesion. 

Participants including representatives from the State of Qatar’s Ministry of Labour, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, UNESCO Doha, HBKU’s Global Institute for Strategic Research (GISR), and Qatar Foundation reflected on the materials presented by the research team, offering additional insights into the process. These reflections will, in turn, inform the research team’s development of HBKU’s Index of Social Cohesion. 

HBKU looks forward to revealing further information and officially launching the Index of Social Cohesion in the future.