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The Concept of Community

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The Concept of Community
THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY IS PROBLEMATIC. COMMENT ON YOUTH, CULTURE AND POSTCODE RIVALRY IN INNER CITY LONDON

Community has been described and interpreted in different ways. It has been explained by different people in their own understanding and views. The concept of community could be associated with the beliefs, culture and interests. In this essay, the concept of community, what it is and the different types of community will be discussed. Also, the association between community, youth and its influence on the environment will be acknowledged. In addition, in this essay, issues on ethnicity, culture, youth, racism and crime will be discussed. The question ‘what a community is’ will be addressed.

The concept of community has been widely discussed and there has not been a particular definition for community and its concept.
Community has been recognized and described only as the environment where people co-habit. It is however not particularly right. Clark (1973:397) describes a community as ‘a group of people with geographical interest and have a unique relationship within the group’. The Oxford dictionary describes it as ‘a group of people living together in a place or having the same religion, race etc’. Also, in Rothman et al’s view, it could also be seen as ‘a structure of relationships which a localized population provides its daily requirements’. A more detailed definition was given to community by Buchroth and Parkin (2010:29) describing it as ‘a place, or a town or a city etc, where a group of people conform to a set of guidelines or rules, so that they all have something in common; people who do not fit into this bill are often pushed out of this community’. All these explain community in different views according to each writer’s perception. They have all explained the classification of word and its aim. However, understanding the concept of community goes beyond the writer’s view or assumption on what the meaning is.

Many geographical



References: Bright J (1997) turning the tide: Crime community and prevention by demo’s original publishers Buchroth I and Parkin C (2010) using theory in youth and community work practice British library Catalogue Clark (1973) the concepts of community Farrington (1996): Social policy research April 1996: understanding and preventing youth crime Haralambos and Holborn Sociology (2008): themes and perspective 7th edition by Collins, London Neitzel M (1979) Crime and its modifications: a social learning perspective Oxford, New York Smith M (2001) ‘community’ in the encyclopedia of informal education www.infed.org/community/community.htm Sobel A challenges of globalization: immigration, social welfare, global governance. Okoronkwo N (2008) the phenomena of Black youth crime and how Black youths are portrayed in the media in the United Kingdom: Whether the portrayal can be considered exaggerated, or if the moral panic is in some way justified? www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/Ndubuisi%20%20Phenomena%20of%20Black%20Youth%20Crime Tyler (2003) the concept of community Oxford, Leeds Maguire M, Morgan R, Reiner R (2002): Oxford handbook of criminology 3rd edition by Oxford University press Oxford Sobel A challenges of globalization: immigration, social welfare, global governance. Wood R Youth deaths (2010): The reality behind the knife crime debate by Institution of Race Relations Worley it’s not about race; it’s about community; new labor and community cohesion

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