WHAT IS COMMUNITY?

A Sociological Perspective
By Phil Bartle, PhD

But what is a community?

The Nature of Communities:

Like most things in the social sciences, community does not fit into a nice neat package. We use the word a lot, but
in this training it is important to ask more seriously what it is.

First, let us note that a "community" is a construct, a model. We can not see a whole community, we can not touch
it, and we can not directly experience it. See elephant. Like the words "hill" or "snowflake," a community may come
in one of many shapes, sizes, colours and locations, no two of which are alike.

More importantly, a community is not just the people who are in it. A community usually was already existing when
all of its current residents were not yet born, and it will likely continue to exist when all of the people in it have
left. It is something that is beyond its very components, its residents or community members. A community may
have members who have temporarily moved to other locations. They may wish to eventually return, but not all do.

A "community" in some senses may not even have a physical location, but be demarcated by being a group of people
with a common interest. In the training material here, however, the "community" which is the object of a
mobilizer's attention, is usually one with a physical geographic location.

A Community is a Sociological Construct:

Not only is the concept of a community a "construct" (model), it is a "sociological construct." It is a set of
interactions, human behaviours that have meaning and expectations between its members. Not just action, but
actions based on shared expectations, values, beliefs and meanings between individuals.

To understand how a community operates, and how it changes, it is necessary to learn a little bit about sociology
the science. The mobilizer is an applied scientist; social scientist. While a pure scientist is interested in how things
work, the applied scientist is interested in taking that knowledge and getting useful results.

A Community has Fuzzy Boundaries:

When an identified community is a little village, separated by a few kilometres from other villages, in a rural area,
its boundaries appear at first to be very simple. That pattern of human interaction may be seen as consisting only
of relations between the residents living inside that location, inside that village.

But its residents interact also with people outside the village. They marry persons from near and far, and may move
or bring a spouse in to live with them. At any one time, those village residents may have sisters, brothers, cousins,
parents and extended relatives living elsewhere. The boundary of that community is not so precise.

Communities Can be Within Communities:

There may be communities within larger communities, including districts, regions, ethnic groups, nations and other
boundaries. There may be marriages and other interaction that link villages on both sides of national borders.
Communities May Move:

Furthermore, where technology is not based on local horticulture, the community residents may be physically
mobile.

They may be nomadic herders walking long distances with their cattle. They may be mobile fishing groups who move
from time to time as the fish are available. They may be hunters who move to follow the game. They may be
hunters who move to follow the game.

Urban Communities are Special:

In urban areas, a community may be a small group of a few homesteads of people from a common origin. That
community in turn, may be part of a neighbourhood community or a barrio or other local urban division.

As the boundaries become wider, there is more heterogeneity (differences in origin, language, religion or other
features that can form a common identity). It may be in turn, a part of a wider municipality, which in turn may be
part of a conglomeration comprising a large city.

In general (with exceptions) an urban community has more fuzzy boundaries, is more difficult to demarcate, is
more heterogeneous (varied, mixed), more complex, and more difficult to organize using standard community
development methods, and has more complex and sophisticated goals, than rural communities.

The Social Perspective of Human Settlements:

A human settlement, or community, is not merely a collection of houses. It is a human (social and cultural)
organization. (The houses, which are cultural products of humanity, belong to one of the six dimensions of society
or culture, the technologicaldimension, as explained below).

Also, it is not just a collection of human individuals; it is a socio-cultural system; it is socially organized. This means
that you need to know some things about society ─ things learned in sociology.

The community has a life of its own which goes beyond the sum of all the lives of all its residents. As a social
organization, a community is cultural. See Culture. That means it is a system of systems, and that it is composed of
things that are learned rather than transmitted by genes and chromosomes. All the social or cultural elements of a
community, from its technology to its shared beliefs, are transmitted and stored by symbols.

Social Animation (promoting community participation or self help) mobilizes and organizes a community. This means
that the social organization of the community is changed, however slightly or greatly. The mobilizer or animator,
therefore, is a social change agent, or catalyst. Understanding the nature of social change, its social nature, in a
community, should be in the mobilizer's tool box.

Community (Anthropology)
The concept of community has been one of the widest and most
frequently used in social science; its examination has been a
focus of attention for at least the past 200 years. At the same
time a precise definition of the term has proved elusive. Among
the more renowned attempts remains that of Robert Redfield
(1960 [1949]: 4), who identified four key qualities in community:
a smallness of social scale; a homogeneity of activities and
states of mind of members; a consciousness of distinctiveness;
and a self-sufficiency across a broad range of needs and
through time. Nevertheless, in 1955, Hillery could compile
ninety-four social-scientific attempts at definition whose only
substantive overlap was that ‘all dealt with people’ (1955: 117)!
Often, to overcome this problem, community is further specified
by a qualifying or amplifying phrase: the ‘local community’, the
‘West Indian community’, the ‘community of nations’ or ‘souls’.
But this would seem only to beg the question.

Traditional anthropological approaches

In anthropology, one might usefully isolate three broad
variants of traditional approach. ‘Community’ is to be
characterized in terms of: (1) common interests between
people; or (2) a common ecology and locality; or (3) a common
social system or structure. Taking these (briefly) in turn,
Frankenberg (1966) suggests that it is common interests in
achievable things (economic, religious, or whatever) that give
members of a community a common interest in one another.
Living face-to-face, in a small group of people, with common
interests in mind, eventuates in community members sharing
many-stranded or multiplex relations with one another; also
sharing a sentiment towards the locality and the group itself.
Hence, communities come to be marked by a fair degree of
social coherence.
Community psychology
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Community psychology studies the individuals' contexts within communities and the wider society, [1] and the
relationships of the individual to communities and society. Community psychologists seek to understand the quality
of life of individuals within groups, organizations and institutions, communities, and society. Their aim is to enhance
quality of life through collaborative research and action. [2]
Community psychology employs various perspectives within and outside psychology to address issues of
communities, the relationships within them, and related people's attitudes and behaviour.
Rappaport (1977) discusses the perspective of community psychology as an ecological perspective on the person–
environment fit (this is often related to work environments) being the focus of study and action instead of attempting
to change the personality of individual or the environment when an individual is seen as having a problem. [3]
Understanding Community Power Structures
Power.  Who has it in your community? How do you gain it? When do you lose it? These are questions
frequently asked during community education training programs for various school districts, community
organizations, and government agencies from around the state trying to understand local community
power structures.

In understanding some concepts behind power, it is advantageous to first be aware that power is not a
product or service that is sold in a local store or purchased through a mail order business. Nor is power
acquired in large quantities similar to buying shares of stock in a company investment plan. Rather, it is
a descriptive attribute or quality we attach to leaders, heroes, the “rich & famous”, politicians, actors &
actresses, sports figures, and other persons in our perceptions who we think are “influential”. These are
persons considered to be powerful. We all know people who are classified as powerful individuals in our
own communities. Usually, community power actors have been “white, middle to upper income, self-
employed, professional, males” who have made up power networks in almost any given community.
However, the traditional power actor is changing. Gradually, more and more women are becoming power
actors either through “connection power” (based on the person’s connections with influential or important
persons inside or outside the organization) or through “referent power” (based on the person’s ability to
be liked or admired by others because of personality) .

These are only two types of gender power bases. Many other power bases can and
do exist in local communities. The most successful strategy for a community leader
is to recognize who are the power actors in their community and identify the source
of their power base.
Power, stated in its simplest form, is the ability to exercise control or influence over another person or
organization. Why then, is it important to know who the community power actor/leaders are in your
community? It is advantageous for some of the following reasons:

1. Gives official sanction for actions.

2. Provides suggestions or ideas for improving community projects.
3. Provides various resources unavailable to most community members.
4. Provides access to other resources otherwise not available to you.
5. Promotes the program to the rest of the community with legitimacy.

While most individuals who work and relate with their community power actors do not view them in a
special aura, rest assured that the community power actor views him or herself differently.   In 1949,
Bertrand  de Jorivenel wrote the following about community leaders in his book  On Power: Its Nature
and the History of Its Growth  – “The  leader of any group of men…feels thereby an
almost  physical  enlargement of himself…Command is a mountain top. The  air breathed there is
different,  and the perceptions seen there are different. fromthose of the valley of obedience.”

The era of change in our communities is accelerating rapidly due to the dramatic increase in power
groups operating inside local communities. These power groups are seeking and desiring an improved
quality of life for themselves and others. Future gains or rewards are determined by the nature of your
interaction with the power network. As a community member and advocate who supports improved
lifestyles, it is highly desirable to possess the skills necessary to be successful with community power
actors. Such skills are needed in order to minimize potential conflicts and maximize access to valuable
resources.

Joseph P. Herrity
Owner/Trainer/Consultant

Preferred Visions
“Consulting Solutions for Organizations”
www.preferredvisions.com

leadership

Posted by: Margaret Rouse

WhatIs.com
  

Contributor(s): Mary K. Pratt

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Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to influence and guide
followers or other members of an organization. 

Leadership involves making sound -- and sometimes difficult -- decisions, creating and
articulating a clear vision, establishing achievable goals and providing followers with the
knowledge and tools necessary to achieve those goals.

Leaders are found and required in most aspects of society, from business to politics to
region to community-based organizations.