Problem: Community as Nonplace, Sharing, or Collective Affiliation
Increasingly, you hear discussions of the importance of nongeographic communities-"communities of interest." These include professional communities (e.g., the social work community), ethnic communities (e.g., the African American community), and religious communities (e.g., the St. Rita Parish community). In using the term community in relation to nongeographic entities, an assumption is made that people in a community possess common, shared experiences and identity. In these instances, the extent to which a community exists can be described by the amount of sharing that transpires in any given situation. It also is understood that community involves close communication, common bonds, and face-to-face relationships or "Gemeinschaft" (Lyon, 1987, pp. 7-8). In this sense, members of a community are viewed holistically (together) as a single entity.
A community is distinguishable from a society in several important ways.
A society is not typically characterized by face-to-face relationships. Societal membership is at a distance and impersonal. Furthermore, societies (countries) operate by means of rules, intended to treat members alike-in similar or prescribed ways. This is functional but not personal. Communities, both localities or communities of interest, usually engage people in more personal ways and can thus serve as mediating structures between individuals or families and the more impersonal society. Explain. Need Assignment Help?