Key Concepts in Community Studies
- Tony Blackshaw - Sheffield Hallam University, UK
SAGE Key Concepts series
Human Geography (General) | Social Work & Social Policy (General) | Sociology (General)
- Peter Bramham, Leeds Metropolitan University
"I would highly recommend this book to any student who is studying communities and groups in society. The book and chapters are structured in a way that students will find it easy to move from one theme to another; to dip into relevant chapters when needed; to gain a good understanding of concepts and how and why they are applied to individuals and communities. The book encompasses both breadth and depth of key concepts and issues. This book will be compulsory reading on our Community Studies degree."
- Lesley Groom, University of Bolton
This book defines the current identity of community studies, provides a critical but reliable introduction to its key concepts and is an engaging guide to the key social research methods used by community researchers and practitioners.
Concise but clear, it caters for the needs of those interested in community studies by offering cross-referenced, accessible overviews of the key theoretical issues that have the most influence on community studies today. It incorporates all of the important frames of reference including those which are:
- theoretical
- research focused
- practice and policy oriented
- political
- concerned about the place of community in everyday life.
The extensive bibliographies and up-to-date guides to further reading reinforce the aim of the book to provide an invaluable learning resource. Interdisciplinary in approach and inventive in its range of applications this book will be of value to students studying sociology, social policy, politics and community development.
This book provides useful background reading for my students.
A good comprehensive account for our community entrepreneur students
perfect for our community work module
A valuable book that is made very accessible by its organisation into short sections, with section outlines and links to other parts of the book. Good coverage of contemporary use and theories of community.
This book was reccommended as part of the bibliography for the course on "Diagnóstico Territorial" rather than "Laboratório de Projecto I". This book is a highly interesting resource for any student in Social Sciences but I saw 2 difficulties in adopting it for "Laboratório de Projecto I": it is not an elementary approach for second year students and it does not contain images or case studies, which makes it harder to adopt for design students.
The nature of the subject "Diagnóstico Territorial" is in itself more theoretical and the students are at a Master's level (3rd semester) and come from various backgrounds which enables them to be more prepared to engage in such a specific and detailed bibliographic resource.
Really useful theoretical overview of debates surrounding 'community'. Excellent section on community as policy and practice.
A very comprehensive source for the University of Cumbria's Youth & Community Work programme of studies. It's biggest strength lies in its structured sequence: (a) moving from topical issues & controversies; (b) towards more conceptual discourse.
The book presents the range of discourses around community and the study of community in times of globalisation and transnational experiences. It exposes the reader to theories of community in a reader friendly manner and positions the topic as a site of contestation. This is useful for students who are reading for degrees in community development/ studies because the text allows them to critically engage in the theoretical and practical issues of community in local and global settings.
A very impressive text, which offers a comprehensive introduction to the key concepts of community studies. It is highly informative, yet written in an accessible manner. An excellent text for students new to the subject area, as it will introduce them to, and help them understand some of the complexities associated with this subject area. A highly recommended addition to community studies literature.
An excellant resource for the Community Studies and Youth & Community degrees - This book is essential reading for students studying at the University of Bolton as itprovides insight into up-to-date concepts.
