The document discusses the concept of community as a group of individuals connected by shared attributes, emphasizing its importance in providing support and connection in various aspects of life. It outlines definitions and characteristics of community, its relationship with society, and differentiates it from associations and institutions. Ultimately, it highlights that community plays a critical role in fostering belonging, combating isolation, and contributing to personal identity and well-being.

1. Community: Concept, Nature
Dr. Purshottam
Guest Faculty
Department of Social Work, KUK

2. Community
• Community is a group of individuals connected to each other by
one or more attribute(s).
• The concept of community is applied to a village, a city, a tribe or a
nation. When the members of a group live together and share
basic conditions of a common life, we call that group a community.
• A community is a familiar thread used to bring people together to
advocate and support each other in the fight to overcome those
threats.
• We are all members of many communities (family, work,
neighborhood, etc.), and we constantly move in and out of them,
depending on the situation.
• Community is where we find comfort in difficult times. When things
are not going well in one community, we have the option to move
to another. The community is where one finds the balance between
physical and mental fitness.

3. Conti…
• Community is about growing with others. I grew
up surrounded by a culturally rich and loving
community which has shaped my identity
• why is community important? Because
community saves us from the isolation and
alienation we fear. Because in the real world
people have no choice. Because community is
about finding each other and a place we can call
home.
• A community is a place where one lives, works
and plays. It denotes a group of people occupying
a definite territory, living together with families
and neighborhood. (same area, we feeling)

4. Conti…
• Community is the combination of two Latin
words i.e. ‘com’ means together and ‘munis’
means serve i.e. serve together is called
community.
• Men have never lived alone. A basic
requirement of existence has been the social
bonds that unite each man to others, the
closest being those of the family and close kin
groups.

5. Definitions of Community
• Bogardus: It is a social group with some degree of
“we feeling and living in a given area”
• W. Ogburn: “Total organization of social life with
in a limited area”
• Definition of community according to Davis: “It
is the smallest territorial group that can embrace
all aspects of social life”
• Manheim: Community is “any circle of people
who live together and belong together in such a
way that they do not share this or that particular
interest only, but a whole set of interests.”

6. Nature:
• We feeling
• A group of people
• A definite Locality
• Community Sentiment
• Naturality (not created or made, born in community)
• Spontaneously
• Permanence
• Common life
• Similarity (Likeness)
• A particular name (expression of individuality)
• Size (big or small)

7. Society and Community
• Society is a web of social
relationships
• Definite geographical area
not necessary
• Abstract
• More than one
community in a society
• Community sentiment is
not essential
• Common interests and
common objectives are
not necessary
• Community consists of
group of individuals
• Definite geographical area
is essential
• Concrete
• Just one community
• Community sentiment is
essential
• Common agreement of
interests and objectives is
necessary

8. Conti…
• Community is the name given to concrete
form of society existing in a definite
geographical area.
• Neighbourhood and Community:
• Limited
• Unit of community
• Sentiment of local unity
• Community sentiment is more stronger than
neighbourhood sentiment
• Community is more organized and controlled

9. Association and Community
• An association is a group of people, who come
together and get organized for fulfillment of
specific goals and purposes.
• Deliberately created, voluntary membership,
• It may be stable, long lasting or may be not
• It has legal status, have their own rules and
regulations.
• It may be the part of community

10. Institution and Community
• Institution is an organization of laws and
procedures and is formed for fulfillment of
certain needs
• Every institution is related to a particular
sphere of life
• Economic institutions(agriculture, industries,
other occupations), political institutions,
Social institutions(family, marriage,),
educational, religion, expressive
institutions(music, dance)

11. Thank you