Should the arts help you meet people you wouldn't normally?
Karina Mangu Ward argues that art has its place in community cohesion rather than reinforcing links with those you already know.
I live in New York City, a place with seemingly endless cultural opportunities. The problem is that the majority of these cultural experiences are designed to bring me closer to people I showed up with—an activity sociologists call “social bonding.”
That’s all well and good for me, but it’s not going to make my city more livable, more humane, and more just.
Inspired by Nina Simon’s TED Talk, I would argue that what my community needs, and what communities across this divided country need, is more opportunities to connect with people across difference—what sociologists call “social bridging.”
I live in New York City, a place with seemingly endless cultural opportunities. The problem is that the majority of these cultural experiences are designed to bring me closer to people I showed up with—an activity sociologists call “social bonding.”
That’s all well and good for me, but it’s not going to make my city more livable, more humane, and more just.
Inspired by Nina Simon’s TED Talk, I would argue that what my community needs, and what communities across this divided country need, is more opportunities to connect with people across difference—what sociologists call “social bridging.”