Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/44609

This paper aims to consider the sociological term of ‘community’. It theoretically thinks about its state in contemporary urban settings. It has long been agreed that sociology is a discipline that studies human interrelations and societal solidarity. Thus, it is reasonable as well as meaningful to consider community as the context in which they can take place. However, the concept in question has been interpreted in a number of ways, thereby rendering it a confusing omnibus word with a variety of connotations. This has been the case, even though it is one of the key terms of sociology and thus needs to be clarified for sociological discussions. This paper argues that community is space for continuous social processes which mould the way that human interrelations and societal solidarity materialise with varying significance. This definition means that community is not something that is static, territorially embedded or refers to a group or a place; rather, it is something that embraces these all as social space which has no boundaries as long as there are social interactions. Based upon this definition, this paper will reflect on the nature of community by tracing the path which it has been through to become what it is today, i.e., community in urban settings. As it is social space, community can be found where human beings are. Therefore, there are such words as rural community, urban community, cyber community, to name but a few. This paper will focus on urban community, clarifying the rationale for analysing community in contemporary urban context. It will then point out some of the major challenges facing urban community today. It will also highlight the importance of our endeavour to create community, according to the social organisation of the time.