Chapter Six The City As CommunityContents I. What Is a Community ( Definitions )œ II. Social Functions of Communityœ III. Community as Type of Social Structureœ IV. Three Historic Phases of Community Studiesœ V. Community Power and the Related Studiesœ VI. Community Stratification and the Related Studiesœ VII. Summary

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What Is a Community?œFactors of CommunityØ  group of peopleØ  geographical area (site)Ø  system of organizationØ  service systemØ  primary relationshipsØ  a sense of belongingØ  a shared identity 

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I. What Is a Community?œ Definition of Community Community is a geographically-tied unit of social organization. Communities are the places in which people live out their day-to-day lives and to which they feel emotional attachment. In brief, Community is a geographical group with some common interests and emotional attachments. I. What Is a Community?œ  For the most part, the term community has geographical or spatial connotations, but it has also been used to indicate similarity of interests among a group of people who do not live in geographical proximity to one another.œ  For example, “a community of scholars”œ  “sense of community” 

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II. Social Functions of Communityœ  Process of socializationœ  Normative order and means for social controlœ  Social stratification and differentiationœ  Means of communicationœ  Forms of social institutions (economy, education, family, politics, religion and the like) III. Community as Type of Social Structureœ  The “Great Change” in community structure associated with urbanization and industrialismœ  “Eclipse of Community”œ  “Failure of Community”œ  A transformation in the fabric of society 

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III. Community as Type of Social StructureØ   Ferdinand Tonnies’ Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft (Community and Society)Ø   Robert Redfield’s Folk-Urban ContinuumFerdinand Tonnies: Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaftœ  Community and Societyœ  Ideal types of extreme forms of community organizationœ  Gemeinschaftis a type of social organization by which people are bound closely together by kinship and tradition.œ  Gesellschaftis a type of social organization by which people have weak social ties and considerable self-interest. 

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Tonnies: Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft

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Ferdinand Tonnies Community Association ? Emotion ? Reason

? Unity ? Individuality ? Custom ? Contract and

Law ? Loyalty to place ? Non-attachme

nt to place_______________________________________________

_

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_________Louis Wirth Ruralism Urbanism

? Primary group ? Secondary Association

? All-round personality ? Segmental roles

? Personal relationship ? Impersonal relationships

? Integration ? Isolation and disorder

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James Fulcher and John Scott, sociology, Oxford university press, 1999, p405

 

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Ferdinand Tonnies: Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaftœ  The typology represents social organization from the smaller group, kinship type relationships to those of the money oriented, rationally oriented relationships of bureaucracy and economic systems.œ  Toennies saw the development of modern urban society as a shift from Gemeinschaft to Gesellschaft. Robert Redfield: Folk-Urban Continuumœ  Redfield analyzed a relatively large regional center and a tribal village.œ  Cultural disorganization: one form of social order broke down and was replaced by another.œ  The basic trend is movement from the simple to the more complex forms of organization. 

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Robert Redfield: Folk-Urban Continuumœ Folk Society ( “Little Tradition” )Ø  mechanical solidarity - emphasis on ascribed statusesØ  small-scale, isolated, self sufficientØ  homogeneous-slow to changeØ  emphasis on the moral order-strong sense of group solidarity holds the community together Robert Redfield: Folk-Urban Continuumœ Urban Society (“Great Tradition”)Ø  organic solidarity, achieved statusesØ  large scale, not isolatedØ  HeterogeneousØ  technical order dominant - arrangements holding people together result from mutual usefulness or coercion (law) 

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IV. Three Historic Phases of Community Studiesœ (1)Normative-Meliorative Community studiesØ  The poor, their living conditions, and social problems.Ø  The seamy side of life in large cities.Ø  Moral judgmentsHenry Mayhew(1812-1887) IV. Three Historic Phases of Community Studiesœ (2) Analytical Community studiesØ  An increase in studies describing and analyzing urban life. 

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IV. Three Historic Phases of Community StudiesØ  Continuous research on the deviant aspects of community life.Ø  For example, Harvey Zorbaugh’s (1929) The Gold Coast and the Slum. IV. Three Historic Phases of Community Studiesœ (3) Modern Community studiesØ  Publication of the Lynds studies of Middletown in 1929 marks the third shift. IV. Three Historic Phases of Community StudiesØ  The focus shifted from mainly analytical studies of community life to theoretically grounded, scientific analyses.

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Ø  Three categories: a. Research on community structure and dynamics b. Research on community as a variable c. Research on selected aspects of community life V. Community Power and the Related Studiesœ  (1) What is power?œ  (2) Perspectives on community powerœ  (3) What is community power structure?œ  (4) Types of power structureœ  (5) Studies of community power structure(1) What is power?œ  Power & Authorityœ  Max Weber

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Ø   Power is the ability to have one’s will effected even against opposition.Ø   Power is the ability to act.Ø   Power is the capacity to control or influence others.Ø   Authority is the right to act.Ø   Three sources of authority(1) What is power?œ The differentiation between power and authority has long been recognized and accepted by most sociologists and it forms the basis for most sociological community power studies.(2) Perspectives on the community power

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œ  Elitist Model a few persons make most of the decisions for the larger groups.œ  Pluralist Model no single-power structure; multiple centers of power.œ  Various sorts of mixtures(3) What is community power structure?œ  The community power structure is the network of influences among the individuals and organizations involved in a given community's decision-making process.œ  Formal power structureœ  Informal power structure 

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(4) Types of power structureœ  Four Types of Power StructureØ    Mass Participation: Wide-open system of equal access to decision-making.Ø    Monolithic Power Structure: one small group of elites holds most of the power in the community.Ø    Polylithic Power Structure: A system of two or more “power cliques” , which share power in the community.Ø    Pluralistic Power Structure: A system with multiple groups sharing power.(5) Studies of community power structureœ   Floyd Hunterœ   Community Power Structure ： A study of decision makers(1953)

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œ   Reputational Approach: assumes that power is present in all social relationships and that the power to affect community decisions is a result of individuals’ reputations.œ   Elitist Model(5) Studies of community power structureœ   Robert Dahlœ   Who Governs? :Democracy and power in an American city (1961)œ   Decisional Approach: assumes that the power to make decisions comes from strong participation in the decision making process.œ   Pluralist Model 

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VI. Community Stratification and the Related Studiesœ   (1) What is Social Stratification?œ   (2) Theoretical Approaches on Social Stratificationœ   (3) Studies of Stratification and Communityœ   (4) Social Mobilityœ   (5) Community Structure and Stratification(1) What is social stratification?œ  The hierarchical system by which individuals are organized into class or status groupings is known as Social Stratification.œ  Social stratification is a system in which groups of people are divided into layers according to their

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relative power, property, and prestige.œ  Social stratification refers to the ranking of large groups of people, rather than individuals.(2) Theoretical Approaches on Social Stratificationœ Two dominant theoretical approachesØ  Functionalist Model Social stratification system is an outcome of society’s needs.Ø  Conflict Model Social stratification system is resulting from the distribution of power in society.(3) Studies of Stratification and Community

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œ The Lynds, Middletown (1929, 1937)Ø  social status based on occupationØ  six classes/two broad classesœ W. Lloyd Warner, The Status System of A Modern Community (1941)Ø  two dimensions to measure social statusØ  six classes(4) Social Mobilityœ  Definition: Upward or downward movement within a stratification system.œ  Two forms of mobility:Ø  INTERGENERATIONAL mobility compares parents levels to that of their children.

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Ø  INTRAGENERATIONAL mobility plots career shifts within a persons lifetime.(4) Social MobilityØ   Closed system:u   ascribed statusesu   lack of mobility; inflexibleu   Caste • begins to breakdown with modernizationu   Slavery • Modern slavery (still exists, human rights violations)Ø   Open system:u   ownership and control of resources and type of worku   achievement (some ascription)

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u   flexible; social mobility is higher(5) Community Structure and Stratificationœ   Stratification is a very important component of community structure;œ   Other aspects of community, such as the way in which production is organized (industrial versus nonindustrial), can have a major impact on community stratification;œ   Stratification is related to life-style, interaction patterns, life chances, residential locations and the like.œ   Within any given stratification system, the rate of change among statuses may be high, but extreme dislocations are rare. 

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VII. Summaryœ Communityœ Typologies of community structureœ Studies of communityØ  Early studiesØ  Modern studies a. community power b. community stratificationThree sources of authorityœ  1. Perceived personal qualities ( charismatic authority )œ  2. Tradition ( traditional authority )œ  3. Conscious decision ( legal-rational authority )Formal power structure

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œ  The formal power structure consists of elected or appointed officials who supervise and execute the will of the community through the formal political structure of civic organizations.Formal power structureœ   Local area decision makers include:Ø    mayor or city managerØ    city councilØ    county executiveØ    county councilØ    members of planning or zoning boardsØ    school boardsØ    chief of police or county sheriff œ   State-wide decision makers include:Ø    Governor

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Ø    state legislatorsØ    heads of state agenciesInformal power structureœ   The informal power structure consists of those who wield influence in an informal or social manner.œ   Publishers and editors of local newspapersœ   Radio and TV station general managers and news directorsœ   Executive director and PR director of chamber of commerceœ   Business leaders and real estate developersœ   Leaders and spokespersons of community special interest groups__