consociation
/kɒnsəʊʃɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n
/ /kɒnsəʊsɪˈeɪʃ(ə)n/noun
1A political system formed by the cooperation of different, especially antagonistic, social groups on the basis of shared power.From what has been said, we conclude that the efficient cause of political consociation is consent and agreement among the communicating citizens.
1.1 Ecology A small climax community of plants having a characteristic dominant species.Fleshy Euphorbia species are found in extensive consociations only in Rajasthan and Gujarat....
- The map units in the order 3 survey area are composed of soil associations, some consociations and some complexes.
- Typically mangroves display a zonation or succession of forests, with each zone being dominated by one of the consociations.
1.2 Zoology A group of animals of the same species which interact more or less equally with each other.
1.3 dated, chiefly US An association of Congregational Churches.
2 [mass noun] dated Close association or fellowship.I'm also a great believer in consociation among one's peers - not only the class sessions but also the coffee breaks and lunches provide fertile ground into which little educational seeds may drop and flourish.
Derivatives
consociational
- Although formally a consociational democracy with a constitution, a parliament, and regular elections, real political power in Lebanon derives from the informal networks that are governed by the various sectarian elites.
- This is the essence of what is known as the consociational system, which was designed to reassure minorities, but also make the religious community the reference point in domestic relations.
- European models of consociational democratic institutions, for example, cannot be removed from the contexts in which they have evolved, and even within them it is not clear that they constitute models of participatory democracy.
consociationalism
- Perplexed by the politics of consociationalism, the Ministry of Education failed to express or even to maintain a consistent educational policy.
- Is consociationalism a viable model for ethnically divided societies?
- Taken together, these elements would clearly indicate that consociationalism lies at the heart of the Agreement.
Origin
Late 16th century (in the sense 'associating, combination'): from Latin consociatio(n-), from the verb consociare, from con- 'together' + sociare 'to associate' (from socius 'fellow').