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Sociology vocabulary · Urbanisation and Community

Community

Meaning in sociology, with examples

/kəˈmjuːnəti/nounCore term

In sociology, community means: A group of people who share a place, an identity or common interests and feel a sense of belonging and connection to one another.

In Turkish: topluluk, cemaat, camia

How it is used

Used both for local places (a village or neighbourhood community) and for groups without a shared place (an online community, the scientific community). In theory courses it recalls Tönnies's contrast between Gemeinschaft (community) and Gesellschaft (society).

Example sentences

  1. Older residents felt that the sense of community had weakened after the new housing estate was built.

  2. Tönnies argued that modern society replaces close-knit community with impersonal relationships.

Common collocations

  • sense of community
  • local community
  • online community
  • close-knit community
  • community cohesion
  • societyA large group of people who live in a shared territory, interact with one another and share institutions, rules and, to some degree, a common culture.
  • social cohesionThe degree to which people in a society or community feel connected, trust one another and share a sense of belonging and common purpose.
  • social capitalThe resources people can access through their social networks and relationships, such as information, support, trust and useful contacts.
  • urbanisationThe process by which a growing share of a country's population comes to live in towns and cities, together with the social changes this brings.

More terms: Urbanisation and Community

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