Social cohesion is loosely understood as the quality of relationships between different groups of people, and between those groups and the institutions that govern them. Humanitarian policy interest in this is on the rise, though it has been growing within development and peacebuilding circles for some time (Finn, 2017; de Berry and Roberts, 2018). Since 2020, there has been an increase in studies and research on social cohesion.1 Growing interest in promoting social cohesion in displacement situations has not arisen by chance, but has emerged in the wake of a series of wider developments and agendas that are tied to ‘social and economic moods as well as political and humanitarian interests’ (Skran and Easton-Calabria, 2020: 18).

First is the urbanisation of displacement, which has forced policy actors to give greater attention to social cohesion. More than half of the world’s refugees live in urban areas since the early 2010s, with the current level at approximately 60%.2 Living alongside local residents in cities and towns can increase opportunities for social interactions between displaced people and the ‘host community’.3 Residing in such close proximity also places burdens on what are often already stretched public services, resulting in competition over resources and livelihood opportunities – all of which can lead to tensions and conflict (Tibaijuka, 2010; Pantuliano et al., 2012).

A second development contributing to growing interest in social cohesion is the increasingly protracted nature of displacement.4 At the end of 2021, just under 16 million refugees – or three quarters of the global refugee population – were living in situations characterised by long periods of exile and separation from home (UNHCR, 2022a). As displacement becomes protracted, social relations can become strained, as displaced populations and the communities in which they settle interact more frequently and for longer periods of time, and as pressures and competition become prolonged (Jayakody et al., 2022). In these situations, an initial welcome by hosts can turn to fatigue on both sides when there seems to be no solution in sight. For example, Syrian refugees in Mafraq, Jordan initially received a warm reception by hosts, but this waned over time, resulting in many in the host community preferring that Syrian refugees be segregated in refugee camps (Mercy Corps, 2012).