ABSTRACT
According to the authors of a basic dictionary of sociology, the term ‘community’ is ‘one of the most elusive and vague in sociology and is by now largely without specific meaning’ (Abercrombie et al. 1984: 44). In view of the complexity and slipperiness of so many sociological concepts, this is a notable claim. However, there are many who would agree that ‘community’ is a concept that has been worked to death: its range of meanings is so wide and diverse, its connotations so inconsistent, and at times downright dangerous, that it deserves no place in any serious social analysis. Indeed, for about as long as sociology has existed, critics have poured scorn on the value of the concept and its ability to tell us anything really useful about the nature of society. Yet it remains nevertheless one of the most common points of reference, not only among social scientists, but also for policy makers, politicians and the general public. Precisely because it is so elastic and various in its meanings, the idea of community continues to grip people’s imaginations, and even grow in significance as it takes on new applications.
