(A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE) COMMUNITY (A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE) Community is defined as a group of people in social interaction within a geographic area and having one or more additional common ties. The meaning of community comprises:  A territorial/geographic area  Social interaction Common ties (psycho-cultural)

The community as a Territorial Unit an identified area as a cluster of people living within a specific geographical area The area determines the nature/type and identity of the community eg. Campus community, community of Sri Serdang, community of Putrajaya

Community as a Unit of Social Interaction Consist of two dimensions: Community as a Social Group: - Social groups have several basic properties such as a body of members, a collection of social roles, and a set of norms - Community as a group of human resources eg. Association of Traders, Workers Union, Student Association

b. Community as a Network of Interaction: - interaction is defined as a face-to-face encounter between two or more people - as a chain of input-output relationship (financial contribution, physical resources, labour force) - a Bank in which it consists of people giving a service to a group of customers - vertical and horizontal interaction

The Community as a Psychocultural Unit Stresses the idea of common ties or bonds among community members. eg. Religion, culture, values, norms, vision Maintains identity, cohesiveness and security in the community

Exception in the Definition of Community: Not all interpretations of community have the geographical dimension eg. International community Community of engineers Community of entrepreneurs Community of pensioners

Basic Functions of Community Economic (production/distribution/ consumption) Socialization (family/neighborhood) – nonformal education Political (social control) Participation (voluntary associations) Mutual support (welfare, health, environmental resources)

THE UN DEFINITION OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The term ‘community development’ has come into international usage to connote the processes by which the efforts of the people themselves are united with those of external authorities (government and non-government) to improve the economic, social and cultural condition of communities, to integrate these communities into the life of the nation, and to enable them to contribute fully to national progress.. In relation to the people, community development is essentially both an educational and organizational process.

TWO RECENT DEFINITIONS Community work is: the process of assisting ordinary people to improve their own communities by undertaking collective action and a social work method (based on scientific process) which is directed towards achieving one or more of the following objectives: to satisfy the broad needs of the community and to create and maintain a balance between the needs and the resources in the community

2. to provide the community with the opportunity to exploit its strengths and potential (knowledge and skills) to develop these, in order not only to be able to deal with social problems and needs but also to prevent them. 3. to effect change in the community, in group relations and the distribution of decion-making powers.