Social solidarity and cohesion in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in intercultural cities

Abstract

The study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intercultural interactions. It considers the sociocultural mechanisms for ensuring cohesion and social solidarity in multicultural communities. The paper highlights the social contexts of the current problems of multicultural communities in overcoming intercultural barriers and the development of trust, social solidarity and cohesion. It reveals the direction of the main negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cohesion and development of social solidarity of multicultural communities. The successful international and domestic cases of counteraction of communities of intercultural cities against the COVID-19 pandemic are analyzed. The factors of development of social solidarity and cohesion of international and Ukrainian community in the conditions of pandemic are investigated. It has been found that social solidarity and cohesion of communities is an effective means of public counteraction to modern destructive factors and challenges. It is established that the communities of cities-participants of intercultural networks have developed effective mechanisms to maintain positive relations between people of different nationalities, religions, cultures and can serve as a positive example for other cities through the implementation of the model of ethnocultural diversity management.