The concept of "social cohesion" has been the subject of investigation for experts of various disciplines, initially sociologists. It has been popularized only in the last few decades, with its extensive use by politicians in the context of mass media; subsequently, the term has been institutionalized. It is apparently in France, during the 70's that the "cohésion sociale" starts to be found in political debates. This may be the result of new political divisions and the need to renew the language inherited by various political families from previous eras. Through the European institutions, the expression has then gained popularity in most European countries. The success of the expression can be explained by its consensual connotation and by its opposition with other expressions, which as well have attracted interest: "social exclusion", "social marginalization", "social fragmentation", etc. The word "cohesion" is also used in different associations: "national cohesion", "economic cohesion", "territorial cohesion". These notions may find various interpretations in different languages and in different countries. A first assumption is to have two different applications to "cohesion": one in economy (avoiding divisions, disparities) and one about identity (issues of integration). This leads to some ambiguity in the interpretation of the discourses. The objective of this study is to differentiate the contexts of use according to the political adherence of the authors (or speakers), possibly uncovering new ambiguities and also taking into account the specific political divides existing in the different countries.
