Community studies is anacademic field drawing on bothsociology andanthropology and thesocial researchmethods ofethnography andparticipant observation in the study of community. In academic settings around the world, community studies is variously a sub-discipline of anthropology or sociology, or an independent discipline. It is often interdisciplinary and geared toward practical applications rather than purely theoretical perspectives.[1] Community studies is sometimes combined with other fields, i.e., "Urban and Community Studies," "Health and Community Studies," or "Family and Community studies."[2]
InNorth America, community studies drew inspiration from the classicurban sociology texts produced by theChicago School, such as the works ofLouis Wirth andWilliam Foote Whyte. InBritain, community studies was developed for colonial administrators working in East Africa, particularlyKenya. It was further developed in thepost-war period with theInstitute of Community Studies founded byMichael Young in east London, and with the studies published from the institute, such asFamily and Kinship in East London.
Community studies, likecolonialanthropology, have often assumed the existence of discrete, relativelyhomogeneous, almosttribe-likecommunities, which can be studied asorganicwholes. In this, it has been a keyinfluence oncommunitarianism andcommunalism, from thelocal context to theglobal and everywhere in between.[citation needed]
Community studiescurricula are often centered on the "concerns" of communities. These include mental and physical health, stress, addiction, AIDS, racism, immigration, ethnicity, gender, identity, sexuality, the environment, crime, deviance, delinquency, family problems, social competence, poverty, homelessness and other psycho-social aspects. Understanding the socio-cultural completeness and the anthropological ramifications of the accurate analysis of community health is key to the sphere of these studies.[3]
Another focus of curricula in community studies is upon anthropology,cultural anthropology in particular. Some programs set as prerequisite knowledge, the background and historical contexts for community, drawing uponarcheological findings and the theoretical underpinnings for social organization in ancient and prehistorical community settings. The theories connected with theNeolithic Revolution is one example of a deep study into how, where and why, hunter-gatherer communities formed.[4]
Community studies have been linked to the causes of social justice, promoting peace andnonviolence and working towards social change, often within anactivist framework.[5]
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