Concepts and meanings of community in the social sciences: a review
Lead Research Organisation:
Cardiff University
Department Name: Sch of Social Sciences
Abstract
The project 'Concepts and meanings of community in the social sciences' undertook to produce a conceptual review, linking theoretical underpinnings with the usage of the concepts of community in empirical research and describing the manner in which these conceptualisations appear in government and non-government sector policies and practices. The review mapped key academic texts across 9 disciplines and fields since the 1960s. It reviewed the ways in which key conceptualizations appeared in empirical articles within these fields and disciplines and also appeared within government, NGO and voluntary sector websites, where community was an explicit aspect of the organisation's brief. The review showed that while there is a sophisticated history of debate and investigation within a few key disciplines, there has been a paucity of concepts used within empirical research, applied fields and policy websites. The impact of this is to make community into a 'spray-on term', in which there is little reference to concepts but in which implicit meanings emphasize the significance of community as an object and downplay the importance of social relations and experience. The implications of this for research, policy and practice are profound: we badly need research which allows community as action to be conceptualized in ways which understand and thus support action by community members, central to the localism agenda.
Organisations
- Cardiff University (Lead Research Organisation)
- Dawns Powys Dance (Collaboration)
- Sao Paulo State University (Collaboration)
- Welsh Assembly (Collaboration)
- University of Colima (Collaboration)
- Unite the Union (Collaboration)
- Pontifical Xavierian University (Collaboration)
- Corporación Universitaria de Colombia Ideas (Collaboration)
- National Autonomous University of Mexico (Collaboration)
- Diego Portales University (Collaboration)
- Abergavenny Community Enterprise (Collaboration)
- MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY (Collaboration)
- Artworks Cymru (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| V Walkerdine (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Studdert D
Enhancing community cohesion: co-design, creation and production
in unknown
Studdert D
(2016)
Being in community: revisioning sociology
in Sociological Review
Studdert D
Rethinking Community Research
Studdert D
community and sociology
in sociological review
Studdert D
co-production seminar participant
in n/a
Studdert D
Microsociality and Community
in sociologcial review
Studdert David
(2016)
Rethinking Community Research: Inter-relationality, Communal Being and Commonality
Walkerdine V
(2013)
Community as micro-sociality and the new localism agenda
Walkerdine V
Microsociality, community and austerity
in Royal Geographical Society Annual Conference
Walkerdine V
Community affect as micro sociality: exploring feelings in common down generations
in sociological review
Walkerdine V
(2017)
Of dinosaurs and divas: is class still relevant to feminist research? Co-Editor of Subjectivity: presentation given as the Opening Lecture at the Centre for Feminist Research, Goldsmiths, University of London, October, 2016 and reproduced as part of the 10th Anniversary issue of the journal Subjectivity
in Subjectivity
Walkerdine V
(2016)
Affective history, working class communities and self-determination
in Sociological Review
Walkerdine V
(2012)
Concepts and meanings of the social sciences: a review
| Title | 500 miles |
| Description | A short video in which a specially adapted version of the Proclaimers' 500 miles was performed by a number of local residents and businesses in the streets of Abergavenny. |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The Youtube version went viral, reaching a very large number of people across several countries. |
| Title | Abergavenny Voices |
| Description | An evening at the local Abergavenny theatre in which voices less often heard were represented. The evening included material by or about marginalised young people, care home residents, night workers. A young improvising group also created material about community/council relations and and performed a local veriosn of 'Mock the Abergavenny week'. A film created of local people singinging a specially adapted '500 miles' was screened. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | Very good press coverage and feedback from a broad range of local residents. |
| Title | Llandridance |
| Description | Work developed by dance company for public engagement |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | Change of practice of organisation |
| Title | documentary |
| Description | A 20 minute documentary outlining the achievements of the Performing Abergavenny project |
| Type Of Art | Film/Video/Animation |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | It was very well received at the AHRC Connected Communities Festival Cardiff and is being distributed to Welsh agencies and local authorities. |
| Title | |
| Description | Forgotten Abergavenny was a phenominally successful public Facebook page, which successfully brought together may local residents and those within an association with Abergavenny acorss many countries and continents. It approached local history as an aspect of community building, using artifacts such as photographs posted to the site. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The site was exceptionally successful, judging by the numbers of posts and reach of the site. Some material went viral and provided a very interesting model for how to develop community involvement in a digital way. |
| Title | mural |
| Description | A community mural was erected on a remaining wall of a now demolished outdoor pool in Abergavenny. The mural was designed by a local artist and was painted by local residents. It was unveiled at a community festival in the park by the leader of the local council. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | Large participation by a very diverse group of residents and big newspaper write-up and a lot of praise and interest. |
| Title | pool day |
| Description | Picnic at the Pool was a community festival on the site of a much missed local outdoor pool. Local people were invited to bring their own picnic and free picnics were provided via a local housing association. The festival included performances by local actors, competitions and inflatable paddling pools filled by the local fire brigade. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The festival was a huge success bringing many people to the park. An ad hoc committee decided to keep the festival as a yearly event and run it themselves. |
| Title | street theatre |
| Description | The project Performing Abergavenny used street performance with three local actors in role as a novel way of eleciting the views of local residents about their hopes for the town and their relations with local councils. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Impact | Provided a really solid basis for understanding the views of the town in a fun way which helped to launch the project as it was performed on a saturday in the twon centre. |
| Title | treasure hunt |
| Description | A treasure hunt was a way of creating a town trail bringing out relatively little known aspects of the town Abergavenny in a fun way. The aim was to provide a popular form of performance of the town by walking around it and spotting clues. |
| Type Of Art | Performance (Music, Dance, Drama, etc) |
| Year Produced | 2014 |
| Impact | The treasure hunt was well covered by local press and the result was a town trail presented to the town council for future use. |
| Description | We discovered that social science research on community has become very stilted and the field has got rather stuck, resulting in academics stopping using the term while pocy-makers continue to use it for political purposes. The way out of this was to approach the research of community in a different way and the research put this forward. |
| Exploitation Route | Specific use of the approach to further community development and cohesion. Rethinking of community as an object - theoretical and methdological importance of the approach. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Education,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| URL | http://www.abergavennycommunity.org |
| Description | They have been used by local councils and community arts organisation to develop co-production approaches to cvommunity work. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | AHRC Catalyst fund |
| Amount | £3,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2018 |
| End | 08/2018 |
| Description | AHRC Connected Communities |
| Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2016 |
| End | 06/2016 |
| Description | Connected Communities |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2012 |
| End | 01/2013 |
| Description | ESRC Impact Accelerator |
| Amount | £3,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2018 |
| End | 06/2018 |
| Description | ESRC Impact Accelerator |
| Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2015 |
| End | 06/2016 |
| Description | ESRC Impact Accelerator |
| Amount | £8,674 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2017 |
| End | 03/2017 |
| Description | Research Grant |
| Amount | £30,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Public Health Wales NHS Trust |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2018 |
| End | 08/2018 |
| Description | connected communities |
| Amount | £150,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2013 |
| End | 07/2014 |
| Description | leverhulme trust major research fellowship |
| Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2012 |
| End | 09/2015 |
| Title | co-production |
| Description | using co-design and co-creation as a research method in community research |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2015 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | This method is now being used in impact activities and is getting better known amongst researchers |
| Title | community co-production |
| Description | A method of community co-production involving joint working and meetings developed out of our research |
| Type Of Material | Data analysis technique |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Use by other organisations, requests to teach the method to other organisations |
| Description | Catalyst project |
| Organisation | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | AHRC funded Catalyst project sharing data from two porjects to develop the methodlogical and theoretical framework and enhance future co-operation |
| Collaborator Contribution | as above |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Catalyst project |
| Organisation | Unite the Union |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | AHRC funded Catalyst project sharing data from two porjects to develop the methodlogical and theoretical framework and enhance future co-operation |
| Collaborator Contribution | as above |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Co-producing Community Arts |
| Organisation | Dawns Powys Dance |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Ran Impact and engagement pilot with them |
| Collaborator Contribution | Organised and ran impact and engagement community dance programme |
| Impact | Guide to Co-producing Community Arts |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | ESRC Brexit |
| Organisation | Welsh Assembly |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Running ESRC Impact Accelerator on Brexit |
| Collaborator Contribution | Supporting work and and taking part in workshop |
| Impact | None so far |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | ESRC IMpact Acelerator Co-produycing community arts |
| Organisation | ArtWorks Cymru |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Running impact accelerator using our co-production method in community arts |
| Collaborator Contribution | Working as national community arts organisation in using this method with their network |
| Impact | Guide to co-production in community arts Further partnerships |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | Subjectivity, work and neo-liberalism in Latin America |
| Organisation | Diego Portales University |
| Department | School of Psychology |
| Country | Chile |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Setting up a Latin American network to foster joint research, writing and publication as well as research student exchange |
| Collaborator Contribution | joint applications for research funding, student scholarships to come to Cardiff, joint publication |
| Impact | Special issue of the journal Subjectivity in preparationresearch grants and fellowships applied for, scholarhsip received |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Subjectivity, work and neo-liberalism in Latin America |
| Organisation | National Autonomous University of Mexico |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Setting up a Latin American network to foster joint research, writing and publication as well as research student exchange |
| Collaborator Contribution | joint applications for research funding, student scholarships to come to Cardiff, joint publication |
| Impact | Special issue of the journal Subjectivity in preparationresearch grants and fellowships applied for, scholarhsip received |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Subjectivity, work and neo-liberalism in Latin America |
| Organisation | Pontifical Xavierian University |
| Country | Colombia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Setting up a Latin American network to foster joint research, writing and publication as well as research student exchange |
| Collaborator Contribution | joint applications for research funding, student scholarships to come to Cardiff, joint publication |
| Impact | Special issue of the journal Subjectivity in preparationresearch grants and fellowships applied for, scholarhsip received |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Subjectivity, work and neo-liberalism in Latin America |
| Organisation | Sao Paulo State University |
| Country | Brazil |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Setting up a Latin American network to foster joint research, writing and publication as well as research student exchange |
| Collaborator Contribution | joint applications for research funding, student scholarships to come to Cardiff, joint publication |
| Impact | Special issue of the journal Subjectivity in preparationresearch grants and fellowships applied for, scholarhsip received |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Subjectivity, work and neo-liberalism in Latin America |
| Organisation | University of Colima |
| Country | Mexico |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Setting up a Latin American network to foster joint research, writing and publication as well as research student exchange |
| Collaborator Contribution | joint applications for research funding, student scholarships to come to Cardiff, joint publication |
| Impact | Special issue of the journal Subjectivity in preparationresearch grants and fellowships applied for, scholarhsip received |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Supporting the development of Colombian shoe manufacture |
| Organisation | Corporación Universitaria de Colombia Ideas |
| Country | Colombia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Workshops demonstrating the use of psychosocial methods in the show sector and co-production in research and engagement within this sector. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Support via participation and locations |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Supporting the development of Colombian shoe manufacture |
| Organisation | Pontifical Xavierian University |
| Country | Colombia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Workshops demonstrating the use of psychosocial methods in the show sector and co-production in research and engagement within this sector. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Support via participation and locations |
| Impact | None yet |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | abergavenny community enterprise |
| Organisation | Abergavenny Community Enterprise |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | community development |
| Collaborator Contribution | provision of support, services, premises, co-operation |
| Impact | website, film, reports, community festivals and other activities |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | Artworks Cymru conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Helped take the co-production method out to community arts organisations across Wales |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Brexit meetings and workshops |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Using our co-production method with Welsh Government and local community groups, bringing them together to work on the consequences of Brexit and showing how our method can work in this, developing a method to be used across Wales. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Co-producing community development |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Using our approach to co-production to bring together the government, community professionals and members of communities to co-produce change. More formal working groups were oragnised to take the method further and the Welsh Government invited us to train their research team in the method. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017 |
| Description | Radio interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with Sputnik Radio on current research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Workshops with Abergavennt residents |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Led to plans for residents and third secor organisation to work together. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | bryn y cwm |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation to Bryn y Cwm area of Monnmouthsire County Council, which was part of the UK Total Place initiative, which led to inclusion of research project in theri remit. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | civic society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation to Civic Society that resulted in increased interest and engagent in research project |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | connected communities festival cardiff |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We gave two presentations about our project and had a stall. The presentations provoked huge interest and several people from various organisations contacted us afterwards and wanted to work with us. Representatives of the Welsh government expressed a desire to continue their dialogue with us, various orgnaisations asked to know more and to potentially collaborate with us. Our stall was the most frequently visited of all the stalls at the festival and we were also selected for live screening of one of the presentations and ou stall. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
| Description | llandrindod |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Invited presentation to Artworks Cymru partnership meeting that led to two partnerships and an impact accelerator award |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | oral history day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Oral history training day with local people, helpd to create an archive of local history for the town |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | poverty day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Wales workshop og BERA Commission on Poverty and education. Ran day and devlivered keynote, as well as making a film for their website. Aimed to change views on poverty intervention and showcase co-production approaches. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | town meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This was a town meeting to disseminate the results of our research to local councillors both town and county. In fact we encouraged interaction between participants and councillors to good effect as the issues local people wanted to raise were eventually heard and taken seriously. Afterwards councillors of all persuasions were very keen to collaborate with us and to support us in future work. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |