Come together: Salma Mousa on building social cohesion

For Salma Mousa, conflict is not the end - it's the beginning.

Conflict is the jumping-off point for her research on social cohesion, or how we as a society can come together. She seeks to understand what makes a cohesive society - and how to bring to reality one that's inclusive of diversity and pluralism. "What does it look like? How do we measure it, observe it, build it?" she asks.

Mousa, an assistant professor of political science at UCLA, addresses these questions by exploring how positive interactions can improve intergroup relations and how parasocial contact can reduce discrimination. A member of the Bedari Kindness Institute's faculty advisory committee, she also looks at it from an individual perspective - treating empathy as a trainable skill to combat prejudice - to the macro level, examining the structural problems that lead to persistent inequalities and discrimination.

Within her work, Mousa, who is Egyptian Canadian, has conducted and applied her social cohesion research to different areas, including serving as a consultant on conflict resolution in Mali and Korea, and as part of task forces on Islamophobia and immigrants in Europe. She also looks at social cohesion and religious integration within Arab societies, such as in Iraq, as well as the integration of Arabs in the United Kingdom and the United States, which gives her the opportunity to do research where Arabs are a majority or a minority.

Mousa emphasized that it is a process - the first question is how to end violence and start political mechanisms for justice and equality of opportunity. Then the focus shifts to how minorities can be integrated.

"Social cohesion is two-sided: Minorities have to be willing and able to integrate, and the majority should nurture and reward these efforts," she said. "The end goal is a society where interactions between strangers are not shaped by their identity."

In one of her studies on parasocial contact, she examined how the addition of an Egyptian Muslim player to Premier League football (or soccer to Americans) could impact Islamophobia. She found that having Mohamed Salah, known as the "Egyptian King," on the Liverpool team reduced Islamophobia among fans and lowered hate crimes in areas where fans live.

She expanded this research to see whether the positive impact would occur only when minority players were performing well. Using fantasy football data, she found that was not the case: poor performance did not translate into negative sentiment. Furthermore, a survey she conducted found that when shown negative articles about their team's minority players, fans displayed increased empathy toward the players' identity groups.

A personal connection

The work is also personal for Mousa, who is Muslim. While growing up in Egypt, where she often returns during the summer, she witnessed firsthand the different ways identities can shape experiences. Her best friend is Coptic Christian, and Mousa followed the unfolding of the Egyptian revolution as different regimes tried to manage their diverse populations.

"Religious identity has all these observable pieces that shape how others treat you," she said. "Downstream, it affects opportunities."

Her upbringing even influenced her perspectives in surprising ways. For instance, she found examples of interventions to humanize social outgroups in Ramadan soap operas she watched. The shows also helped educate viewers and correct misconceptions around topics such as female genital mutilation and family planning.

Similarly, Mousa helps to combat bias today by bringing these experiences and perspectives from various parts of the globe to the classroom. She is always surprised by how little students know about the Middle East, but she welcomes their curiosity.

"I tell them to come with their questions," she said. "I want it to be a safe space for people to know more - even the basic questions.

"Don't be scared," she added.

Mousa, who teaches classes on immigration, integration and multiculturalism, knows there is real emotional significance in representation - and she takes mentorship to heart.

"I always get at least one Arab student each quarter who comes to me and shares how important it is to them to have faculty of different backgrounds at UCLA," she said.

With a significant Middle Eastern population at UCLA and in Westwood and the current conflicts worldwide, she is acutely aware of the value of having faculty across many disciplines - especially in political science - who can speak to students' concerns and offer classes that are relevant.

Mousa, who brings students from different majors and backgrounds together as she researches how to build an equitable and inclusive world, remains dedicated to the task. "I'm proud to fill that role," she said.