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Key Concepts in Community Studies
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Key Concepts in Community Studies



October 2009 | 232 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
"This book is both insightful and engaging, enriched with diverse and up-to-date readings. Tony Blackshaw lays bare debates surrounding the uses and abuses of key concepts of community studies and breathes new life into community as theory and community studies as method."
- Peter Bramham, Leeds Metropolitan University

"I would highly recommend this book to any student who is studying communities and groups in society. The book and chapters are structured in a way that students will find it easy to move from one theme to another; to dip into relevant chapters when needed; to gain a good understanding of concepts and how and why they are applied to individuals and communities. The book encompasses both breadth and depth of key concepts and issues. This book will be compulsory reading on our Community Studies degree."
- Lesley Groom, University of Bolton

This book defines the current identity of community studies, provides a critical but reliable introduction to its key concepts and is an engaging guide to the key social research methods used by community researchers and practitioners.

Concise but clear, it caters for the needs of those interested in community studies by offering cross-referenced, accessible overviews of the key theoretical issues that have the most influence on community studies today. It incorporates all of the important frames of reference including those which are:

  • theoretical
  • research focused
  • practice and policy oriented
  • political
  • concerned about the place of community in everyday life.

The extensive bibliographies and up-to-date guides to further reading reinforce the aim of the book to provide an invaluable learning resource. Interdisciplinary in approach and inventive in its range of applications this book will be of value to students studying sociology, social policy, politics and community development.

 
Setting the Record Straight: What Is Community? And What Does It Mean Today?
 
Community as Theory
 
A Theory of Community
 
Hermeneutic Communities
 
Liquid Modern Communities
 
Postmodern Communities
 
Community as Method
 
Action Research
 
Community Profiling
 
Community Studies
 
Ethnography
 
Social Network Analysis
 
Community as Place
 
Cosmopolitanism, Worldliness and the Cultural Intermediaries
 
Liminality, Communitas and Anti-Structure
 
Locality, Place and Neighbourhood
 
Virtual Communities
 
Community as Identity/Belonging
 
Community and Identity
 
Imagined Communities
 
Neo-Tribes See Setting the Record Straight, Leisure and Its Communities, Liquid Modern Communities and Liminality, Communitas and Anti-Structure
 
New Social Movements See Community Action
 
Personal Communities See Setting the Record Straight, Social Network Analysis and Virtual Communities
 
The Symbolic Construction of Community
 
Community as Ideology
 
Communitarianism
 
Community Politics See Political Community and Community Action
 
Imaginary Communities
 
Nostalgia
 
The 'Dark Side' of Community
 
Utopia See Imaginary Communities
 
Community as Policy and Practice
 
Community Action
 
Community Development
 
Community Partnerships
 
Community Policy See Political Community
 
Community Practice See Community Development, Community Youth Work, Leisure and Its Communities
 
Community Regeneration
 
Community Youth Work
 
Leisure and Its Communities
 
Political Community
 
Social Capital

This book is both insightful and engaging, enriched with diverse and up-to-date readings. Tony Blackshaw lays bare debates surrounding the uses and abuses of key concepts of community studies and breathes new life into community as theory and community studies as method.

Peter Bramham
Leeds Metropolitan University

I would highly recommend this book to any student who is studying communities and groups in society. The book and chapters are structured in a way that students will find it easy to move from one theme to another; to dip into relevant chapters when needed; to gain a good understanding of concepts and how and why they are applied to individuals and communities. The book encompasses both breadth and depth of key concepts and issues. This book will be compulsory reading on our Community Studies degree.

Lesley Groom
University of Bolton

A useful book that provides some really good analysis of the key areas in community studies.

Dr Michael Richards
Applied Health and Social Care , Edge Hill University
May 22, 2016

The section on symbolic constructions is particular important for social work students

Dr Dan Allen
Sch Nursing,Midwifery,Soc Wrk & Soc Sc, Salford University
February 11, 2016

Another good addition to the Key Concepts range of publications. A concise and easily accessible introduction to key issues in Community Studies and a good companion for new students.

Miss Andrea Walker
Health and Community Studies , University of Bolton
June 8, 2015

very good text book for community studies not many books in this field

Mrs Margaret Gough
Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, Coventry University
March 14, 2014

a key introductory guide

Mr Richard Kotter
Dept of Geography, Northumbria University
July 11, 2013

This is a very useful as an introductory book to students undertaking courses on the topic of community. I founds it's map like structure and links between themes and topics a particular strength. I don't think it provides enough depth and material to serve as a main text for community courses but certainly recommended reading. There are places where it is not as consistent as it should be. Some sections are a little vague and repetitive, and in certain cases the further reading suggestions seem a bit tangential or not up to date. These things said it is an extremely handy book.

Dr Robin Mann
School of Social Sciences, Bangor University
December 12, 2012

key concepts and ideas are bought up to date and encourage teacher and student alike to reflect on their understandings of 'community'.

Mr David Raper
Inter Professional Studies, Winchester University
September 29, 2011

This is a great book. It follows a logical order and lays out historical and modern theories on communities. As a lecturer delivering 'community' to students who are new to the subject, I have made this one of the essential books on their reading list.

Ms Kirsten Stevens-Wood
Please select your department, Ystrad Mynach College
September 24, 2011

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