Unit 4: AOS 1 Community

History of Community

Since the late nineteenth century, ‘the use of the term community has remained to some extent associated with the hope and the wish of reviving once more the closer, warmer, more harmonious type of bonds between people vaguely attributed to past ages’ (Elias 1974, quoted by Hoggett 1997: 5).

Origin of Community

• The origin of the word community comes from the Latin munus, which means the gift, and cum, which means together, among each other.

• Community literally means to give among each other.

• Community could be defined as a group of people who share gifts which they provide to all.

Community can be defined using different patterns.

A community can be large or small; local, national, international; real or virtual; cooperative or competitive; formal or informal.

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.

Boundaries

A small village has simple boundaries.

Interaction is between residents. Interaction outside the

communities.– Other village shops– Marriage and dating from other

villages– Sports

Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft• A community bound together in a tightly knit

pattern which is socially homogeneous and based on a clear-cut piece of territory.

• Gemeinschaft is a world dominated by face-to-face contacts, where each person is aware of his or her status, each is attached to a particular place, and the community is well regulated.

• It is said to be a feature of villages and small towns, and contrasts with gesellschaft society, said to be a feature of an urban, industrialized populace.

• Both concepts are idealized; in real life there are ingredients of both, in varying proportions, in all societies.

• For example, within many cities there are neighbourhoods which operate as urban villages.

Jewish community of Caulfield

Case study http://www.jewishaustralia.com/?

Page=communityhistory

Today's Jewish community is concentrated in the St. Kilda district, home of the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation, the oldest and largest synagogue in the city. The original kehilla that was formed in 1841 moved into this large, stately building in 1930, and the dome-topped, Victorian structure has been in use ever since. Other synagogues in Melbourne include Temple Beth Israel, a Liberal synagogue that seats more than 2,000 people; the St. Kilda Hebrew Congregation, which is more in the old-world style; and the Kew synagogue, the newest and most modern looking temple.

The Jewish museum of Australia displays Judaica, ritual objects, Holocaust material, and paintings and sculptures by Jewish authors. The nearby Kadimah Cultural Center shows Jewish and Yiddish drama, and has a large library of Judaica. There are also kosher restaurants and grocery stores throughout the St. Kilda area.

The history of the Jews in Australia dates back to 1788, when a number of Jews were among the convicts brought to the country aboard the First Fleet to establish the first European settlement on the continent, on the site of present-day Sydney. Today, an estimated 120,000 Jews live in Australia.[1] The majority are Ashkenazi Jews many of them refugees and Holocaust survivors who arrived during and after World War II. There is also a significant Sephardic Jewish population.

* The meaning and history of the concept of community

including the theory of Ferdinand Tonnies

What is a community? Can be difficult to define Has traditionally been used to describe groups of people

who:- Live in the same geographical area- Are connected with an institution e.g. a church or a school- Belong to the same cultural or language group e.g.

Vietnamese Australians- Have similar occupations e.g. nurses- Share similar experiences e.g. refugees and asylum seekers- Have ideas or values in common e.g. environmental social

movements- Have a similar interest e.g. gym members- Share a lifestyle e.g. people are same sex attracted- Share a government e.g. the city of Monash

When the term community is used in connection with any of these practices and activities it is generally intended to suggest that the people in the group have something in common

4 key characteristics of a community include

Live in the same area Are interdependent in terms of

work Share social interactions Share a sense of belonging to that

group

Types of communities Geographic communities – local

neighbourhood, suburb, shire, town or city (sometimes called communities of location) – large group living in close proximity

Cultural communities – local club, sub-culture, ethnic group, religious, or multicultural group (e.g. Indigenous and Greek-Australian groups)

Interest based communities – people who share a common identity other than location and who often interact regularly (eg a sporting club or a land care environmental group)

Types of communities Intentional communities – formed with

the purpose of providing social and/or practical support for a group (e.g. a retirement village or nursing home, young mothers group)

Internet communities – groups of people who may have never met but share some interest or connection via the internet (e.g. second life, blogs, facebook and political/non government organisations)

Ref pg 96

How might the definition of community have changed over time?

Industrial Revolution 1760 – 1850 Transformed society economically

moving from an agrarian farming economy to a manufacturing economy

Technologically from manual to mechanical labour

Socially from rural to urban life, changing control over labour processes and gender relations

FERDINAND TONNIES

German sociologist Studied how life in the new cities

differed from life in rural villages Introduced 2 contrasts that

reflected the contrast between very different social experiences

GEMEINSHAFT (community) Used to describe a social group in

which people are closely tied by kinship (family) and tradition

GESELLSCHAFT ‘society’ The informal and impersonal

relationships that occur within cities

GEMEINSCHAFT

In traditional villages the intimate ties of Gemeinschaft connected people

Connections based on blood (kinship)

Mind (sense of being a unique group) and land

Seen as being culturally homogenous as shaped by the moral laws of the church and family

Admiration for the way that Gemeinschaft groups maintain social cohesion and a concern about the loss of these forms of community

Examples of Gemeinschaft

Rural farming communities Extended families Religious communities

Gesellschaft

Tonnies concerned that society over time would comprise Gesellschaft groups

Worried that people would be ‘essentially separated in spite of uniting factors’

Characterises a group of people who come together by choice usually for very specific practical reasons

Instead of being guided by traditional norms – people follow their own selfish interests

They adopt a ‘contracual’ attitude becoming more deliberate, rational and calculating in their social interactions (eg connecting for work opportunities rather than emotional well – being)

Tonnies noted that as social and geographic mobility increased the close ties of Gemeinschaft were replaced by social relationships

Which were impersonal, superficial and fleeting

Examples

Corporate workplaces Gyms universities

GEMEINSCHAFT (COMMUNITY)

GESELLSCHAFT (SOCIETY)

• Bonds among people are intimate and personal

• Based on strong social ties, tradition and personal relationships

• Descriptive of rural life• People know each other,

share interests oriented toward collective community

• Shared identity• Family ties are strong which

provides unity

• Bonds are practical and impersonal

• Association of people with social ties, considerable social diversity and impersonal relationships

• Descriptive of urban life• People largely motivated by

self interest which can result in disunity

• Few common values or shared identities

• Tradition and custom are no longer binding forces. Individuals choose to participate

Below slides are a cartoon play on the difference between Geselschaft and Gemeinschaft

Although technically we still have Gemeinschaft communities

Gemeinschaft could be regarded as traditional (earlier) communities and Gesellschaft to modern (later) communities

M comes before S in the alphabet

Emile Durkheim Agreed with Tonnies theory about

community and society Durkheim believed that cities do

not lack social bonds Outlined 2 different forms of

community – they either reflected the ‘mechanical solidarity’ of traditional society or ‘organic solidarity’ present within modern societies.

Mechanical solidarity

Durkheim believed that pre-industrial societies were united by mechanical solidarity or shared moral beliefs

Members of traditional communities viewed each-other as being similar in terms of work, values and social connections

Similar to Tonnies Gemeinschaft community

Durkheim suggested that the unity generated within traditional community comes from having the shared culture and maintaining regular face to face contact

Organic solidarity

More optimistic than Tonnies about the shift in community types as a result of urbanisation

Durkheim outlined a new type of social connection called ‘organic solidarity’

Involved social bonds based on specialisation (division of labour and interdependence)

Concept similar to Gesellschaft groups but has key differences

Both sociologists felt that the expansion of industrial cities had the potential to undermine tradition

For Durkheim urban society offered more personal choice, tolerance and privacy than was found in traditional communities

Durkheim's theory of social change warned about the potential for increasing organic solidarity and its associated individualism to cause a reduction in the involvement of communal activities instead of combining their efforts, individuals might allow selfish interests and competitiveness to divide them

This could lead to social disorder And ‘anomie’ a society without norms People could become increasingly

isolated and dissatisfied

Durkheim saw anomie as the cause of the rising rate of suicide, crime and social disorder in urban society at the time

Listen to ..

Florence and the machines never let me go – how might Durkheim explain this song??

Use key terms to explain…

And “I wish I was a punk rocker…” song

What would Durkheim say?

“And it's peaceful in the deep, Either way, you cannot breathe, No need to pray, no need to speak Now I am under.”

Though the pressure's hard to take, It's the only way I can escape, It seems a heavy choice to make, Now I am under.

And it's breaking over me, A thousand miles down to the sea bed, Found the place to rest my head.

Create a venn diagram

To explain the similarities and differences between Tonnies and Durkheim

Community over time ref pg 100

Using the pictures - add your own drawings and write the features of traditional communities and the features of modern communities

..\Documents\Sociology\sociology 3&4\Unit 3\AOS 3- Community\COMMUNITIES OVER TIME.docx

Common features of traditional and modern communities include

Sense of belonging Identity Security Social interaction and participation

Factors contributing to shift from traditional to modern community

Travel and advances in technology and communications

Feminism

Work

Urbanisation

Educational opportunities

Multiculturalism

Industrialisation

Your task

Complete Activity 4.02 pg 102

Castell’s theory of network society and its connection to modern forms of community

Contemporary theory ‘network society’ Explores how use of ICT in

industrialised cities has improved social networks and connections between people

Castells’ theory

States that online connections supplement and enrich ‘offline’ connections

Believed those who are active within their ‘real world’ communities use the internet to maintain and expand their range of social activities and friendships

Some social researchers are concerned about the breakdown of community and family life as isolated and alienated ‘netizens’ (cyber citizens) become addicted to online interaction

BUT Castell argues that pessimistic views are based on insufficient empirical evidence and nostalgia for the intimate communities of a past that never existed

His research found that the Internet has the potential to provide a much broader range of social contacts and opportunities for discussion compared to face to face connections

Further research into whether relationships that are exclusively formed and experienced online were considered meaningful and lasting

Found that many online communities were fleeting groups containing “variable geometry and changing composition”

Online interactions were seen as resulting in weak social ties rather than creating long lasting relationships

Another concern relates to negative social behaviours

Eg networks of paedophiles, racist groups and internet fraudsters can be formed Castell reported that the vast majority of online community members do not engage in these offensive behaviours

2 main forms of ICT communities

Virtual communi

ties

•Social network created through use of information technology•Second life (people create avatars or alternative reflections of themselves)

Online communities(Rheingold’s

theory)

•Collection of people who communicate online•Seek social support, company and information•Make connections based on shared interest and values

SUMMARY OF CASTELL’s theory

Manual Castells – ‘network society’

– Explores how the use of ICT in industrialised cities has improved social networks and connections between people

– He argues that the Internet has helped to reinforce and intensify existing social patterns rather than threaten community

Rheingold Empowering potential of internet New community online allows

people to make connections based on shared interests and values

Online communities are a natural response to the human need for social contact which has been eroded due to the loss of traditional communities

Rheingold

Argues online communities have been created as “an alternative reality in a world gone wrong”

While Castell supports Rheingold’s empowerment model, he notes that the impact of the internet on social interaction has been less dramatic than originally predicted

Castell – the same problems occurring in real life (exclusion, conflict and racism) are also present in online communities

Access to ICT remains restricted to those with enough economic, educational and social resources to participate in these forms of community

FACEBOOK

Desire for popularity rather than genuine friendships?

LIST THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF VIRTUAL AND ONLINE COMMUNITIES pg. 104

CLASS DISCUSSION

What internet communities do you know of?

What is considered acceptable and unacceptable behaviour within internet communities

How have these social rules been established?

What are the consequences of the rules are broken?

Complete Activity 4.03 Research newspaper articles and

representations on online and virtual communities

In your opinion are online communities genuine forms of community? Justify your answer with specific examples and theory

Read pg 105 and answer questions 1-5 on pg 106

Experience of community

Sense of community Involves a feeling that members

belong, are connected to each other and believe that their needs will be met through their participation in the group

Ways in which a sense of community can be built

Participating in festivals celebrating the community

Working towards a common goal or purpose (wining a sporting premiership or raising funds for charity)

Promoting the community among its members

Attending social nights or organised activities

Maintaining or Weakening?

The rebuilding of Kinglake after the fires has simultaneously maintained and weakened a sense of community

Changes to clearway times has brought Stonnington Council traders together as a community to “fight” the State Government

Sense of community can also be instilled in individuals by..

Family – determines which communities a person will interact with and how often this occurs

Ethnic origin – provides a person with friendship links and cultural connections to communities while also exposing people to racism and prejudice that may make individuals stick with ‘people like us’

Work – determines a persons status and power within a community

Inclusion and Exclusion

INCLUSION EXCLUSION

- How community members made to feel part of the group

- Participation in community activities is often responsible for this connection

Involves: - Being made to feel welcome –

sense of belonging- Generates a feeling of being part

of something- Provides individuals with

security, identity, support and access to skills and information possessed by the community

- How people can be isolated from the community

- Can be unintentional (not being able to join a swimming team if you cant swim) or intentional (neo Nazi movement excluding people who are not of an Anglo Saxon background)

- Causes individuals to feel isolated and alienated from a community (ies)

- Helps define a community by identifying who is not included

- Can result in individuals feeling angry, resentful, frustrated and powerless

- Can lead to conflict or violence between different community groups

Relationship between inclusion and exclusion

Concepts are interrelated Often actions that make one

person feel apart of a community can be the same factor that excludes someone else

Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998) describes the interrelationship as being like “two sides of the same coin”

EXAMPLE OF inclusion and exclusion

A Greek social club has a strong sense of community because its members have their ethnicity in common

This club is not deliberately seeking to exclude non Greek people but has unintentionally done so. If a non Greek person were to join, while it would eliminate the feeling of exclusion for that person, it would likely remove the strong sense of community the Greek members feel because the new member may not understand their culture and experiences in the same way

How can a sense of community be weakened?

Political factors – change in government policy, such as the closure of a school in a small country town

Economic factors – loss of financial support/funding (rural football and cricket clubs needing to merge instead of closing)

Social factors – sexism, racism, ageism

..\Documents\Sociology\sociology 3&4\Unit 4\AOS 3- Community\Exclude women at your own peril.docx

Read pg 106 and answer questions 1-5

Complete activity 4.04 pg 109

Information and communications technology

What is ICT?- Networking (mobile phones towers,

broadband, satellites)- Hardware (computers, laptop,

iphone)- Software (web browsers, email)- The internet- The people who work with these

technologies

What are the positive and negative consequences for Australian communities as a result of the development of ICT..\Documents\Sociology\sociology 3&4\Unit 4\AOS 3- Community\Positive and negative consequences of ICT on community pg 110.docx

complete Activity 4.05 pg 112** Find current articles on internet communities

Effects of economic, social, political and environmental changes

The impact of change from various institutions and the environment can range from a minor inconvenience to the complete destruction of a community

When considering the impact of change it is important to be able to describe what the experience of community was like ‘before’ and ‘after’ the change

The following categories of change have had a significant impact on the structure and experience of community over time

Economic change

Gain or loss of funding Decrease or increase in

membership fees Increase in rent, licensing fees or

other costs Need for sponsorship and

fundraising Loss of industry and

unemployment

Social change

Changing social attitudes Changing gender roles Social trends and fashions Popular opinion Attitudes of people inside and

outside a community

Political change

Changing government policy Laws and legislation (eg anti-

discrimination laws), government grants

Council bylaws and restrictions (eg building permits

Removal of services

Environmental changes

Sustainability – ensuring there are adequate resources for future community groups to use (eg water for ovals, private and public space for sporting activities)

Climate change (shifting weather patterns have had significant impact on many communities esp. rural communities who have been subjected to floods, draughts and fires.