ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines the diverse impact of globalisation on communities variously defined in different parts of the world. It focuses on theory, exploring both concepts - globalisation and communities, to depict their contested and changing forms in different settings. The book highlights differing definitions and responses to globalising forces within community-based spaces and services. It examines theoretical aspects of globalising communities and agency. It considers how the collapse of boundaries between professionals and the communities within which they practice have impacted upon images and discourses within and about social work and highlights their social construction. The book also considers how the limitations of neoliberalism and structural adjustment distort social development by focusing on events that unfolded in post-apartheid South Africa. It suggests that practice examples of how different groups of people or communities have responded to the challenges of globalisation.
