In Iraq, mixed-religion soccer teams helped build social cohesion, healed wounds after war
Thursday, August 13, 2020 - 13:00
in Psychology & Sociology
A new study, released today in Science, points to a way to repair social ties and promote coexistence after war. The study found that in post-ISIS Iraq, mixing Christians and Muslims on soccer teams made Christian players more tolerant toward Muslims in their league, though the sentiments did not extend to Muslims in the broader community. The findings suggest that meaningful social contact can build community-level social cohesion with peers and acquaintances after war.