DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY Sociology. .pdf

DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY Sociology. .pdf

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  SOCIOLOGY DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY Hortonand Hunt Definition: “Community is a local grouping within which people carry out a full round of life activities.” Easy Explanation Horton and Hunt say that a community is a group of people who live together in one place and do all their daily activities there. This includes:  Living  Working  Studying  Worshipping  Shopping  Social activities  Cultural activities ➡ Everything happens within the same local area. Very Simple Meaning A community is a place where people live and do almost everything needed for daily life in one area. Example In a village:  Children go to school  Parents work in fields or shops  People buy things from the local market  They celebrate festivals together  They meet their daily needs ➡ This complete set of life activities done in one local area = Community (Horton & Hunt). MacIver “Community is an area of social living marked by some degree of social coherence.” Easy Explanation MacIver means that a community is: 1. An area where people live together — same village, town, neighborhood, etc. 2. People share social life — they interact, meet, communicate, and participate in common activities. 3. There is social coherence — people feel connected, united, and live with cooperation. Social coherence = unity + understanding + togetherness Very Simple Meaning A community is a place where people live together and stay connected through shared activities, relationships, and unity.
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  Example  In asmall town:  People help each other  Celebrate festivals together  Share problems and joys  Follow common traditions ➡ This unity and togetherness show social coherence, which MacIver talks about. Hawley – “Community refers to a structure of relationships through which a localized population provides its daily requirements.” Easy Explanation Hawley says that a community is made up of: 1 People living in one local area — same village, town, or neighborhood. 2 A structure of relationships This means how people are connected to each other:  Shopkeeper and customers  Farmers and villagers  Teachers and students  Neighbours helping each other 3 These relationships help people meet their daily needs  Daily requirements like:  Food  Water  Safety  Education  Work  Social support ➡ So community = people + relationships + meeting daily needs. Very Simple Meaning A community is a group of people living in one place who depend on each other to meet everyday needs. Example  In a village:  Farmers give food  Teachers give education  Shopkeepers provide goods  Neighbours help each other ➡ These relationships help everyone meet daily requirements. That is what Hawley means.
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  Robert Stebbins According toRobert Stebbins, “A community is a social group of people who live in the same area, share common interests, and feel a sense of belonging to each other”. Easy Meaning A community is formed when: 1. People live in the same place — same village, town, or neighborhood. 2. They share common interests — like culture, traditions, problems, activities, or goals. 3. They feel connected — they think they belong to the group and support each other. Very Simple Example In a small town:  People celebrate festivals together  Children go to the same school  They help each other during difficulties  They live close to each other ➡ This creates a sense of belonging and forms a community as described by Robert Stebbins. Osborne & Neumeyer “Community is a group of people living in a continuous geographic area having common interests and activities and functioning together in the chief concerns of life.” Easy Explanation Osborne and Neumeyer say that a community has 3 main things: 1 People living close togeth They live in one continuous area — same village, town, or locality. 2Common interests and activities People share similar:  Customs  Needs  Festivals  Problems  Goals  Daily activities 3 They work together for important life needs They help each other in:  Safety  Education  Earning  Health & Social support
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  ➡ They cooperatefor the major concerns of life. Very Simple Meaning A community is a group of people living close to each other, sharing common interests, and working together to meet the important needs of life. Example  In a neighborhood:  People celebrate festivals together  Children play together  Families help each other  Everyone participates in local event This is what Osborne and Neumeyer call a community. Bell & Newby “Community is a set of interrelationships among social institutions in a locality.” Easy Explanation Bell and Newby say that a community is formed not just by people, but by the connections between different social institutions in one area. These institutions include:  Family  School  Market  Hospital  Religion (temple, church, mosque)  Government offices  Local organization “Interrelationships” means: How these institutions work together, support each other, and serve the people in the locality. Very Simple Meaning A community is the system of relationships between important institutions (family, school, market, etc.) that function together in one local area. Simple Example In a town:  Schools educate children  Hospitals provide health care  Markets supply goods  Families raise children  Local government maintains roads and safety All these institutions interact and support one another, forming a community, as Bell and Newby describe.