ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the various ways in which academics and policy-makers have worked with the concept of ‘community’ over different periods. It explores the classic community studies of the early to mid-twentieth century and how these have informed understandings of community since. It considers the enduring power of community in social and political discourse. This chapter is an introduction to community studies in sociology, philosophy, geography and social policy and lays the basis for an analysis of the concept and its many uses.
