Symbolic Construction of Community

by Anthony P. Cohen

Anthony Cohen makes a distinct break with earlier approaches to the study of community, which treated the subject in largely structural terms. His view is interpretive and experiential, seeing the community as a cultural field with a complex of symbols whose meanings vary among its members. He delineates a concept applicable to local and ethnic communities through which people see themselves as belonging to society. The emphasis on boundary is sensitive to the circumstances in which people become aware of the implications of belonging to a community, and describes how they symbolise and utilise these boundaries to give substance to their values and identities.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Sociology, Cultural, Academic

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Mewa]

Słowa ważne, wydanie ładne i na tym poprzestańmy. Nie zamierzam oceniać książki wnikliwiej niż postawienie na niej stempelka „spełnia oczekiwania“.

[Maarten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book promulgating some very interesting ideas. I didn't necessarily agree with all of it from an ancient historian's perspective, but the ideas are very useful nonetheless.

[Gayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cohen's book is very accessible. It clearly illustrate how community, and boundaries, are symbolically constructed.

[Jan D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful and okay to read. Style is dry, but not difficult; formatting is good. The books main argument is that communities are symbolically constructued, that is, by their members relating to whatever symbolizes community and particularly its boundaries to them. This is a helpful perspective for me particularly since most literature I read emphasizes the influence of the material and practical rather than the symbolical. But the author suggests that even if the environment or objects are the same, even if the practices seem the same, communities can still see different meaning in them. Also useful: the section on how communities are simple and unified from and for the outside, but often diverse and incoherent from the inside. I read this as part of research on how people use the concept and imaginary of their community in discussions.

[Márcio Moretto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Em The Symbolic Construction of Community, Anthony P. Cohen apresenta argumentando que a comunidade é construída simbolicamente através de significados, rituais e fronteiras subjetivas. Em vez de ser uma entidade estática, ela é interpretada individualmente, permitindo diversidade dentro da coesão. Inspirado por autores como Durkheim e Weber, Cohen sugere que as identidades comunitárias são mantidas por símbolos que conectam os indivíduos ao coletivo e às suas histórias. Ele questiona a visão linear de evolução social e propõe que diferentes tipos de solidariedade e identidades podem coexistir, mesmo em sociedades modernas. A comunidade é uma expressão resiliente da cultura e identidade em um mundo urbanizado e globalizado, servindo tanto como refúgio de pertença quanto como resistência simbólica ao mundo exterior.

[Eileen]

good way to look at community

[Emilia Pacurar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lobbies are interpreting communties