Sociology Plus
Community Politics Definition
Community politics refers to the political activity occurring within a specific community, focusing on local campaigns and issues, and encompasses the political concerns generated by residence in a particular locality or place, as well as the relationship between residents and the central state.
Historical Origins and Early Theory
Early sociological explanations of community politics emerged from critiques of the social and political effects of European transformation, particularly the shift from rural to urban living. Thinkers such as Tonnies (1887) and Simmel (1903) observed a trend of disengagement from both social and political life resulting from this change. This line of thought was further developed by Wirth (1938), who argued that certain social and political actions are characteristic of the city, contributing to the development of urban ecology. This approach posits that urban communities function according to laws distinct from wider society, suggesting that urbanism and community politics constitute a unique way of life.
Theoretical Frameworks
An alternative conceptualisation draws upon Marxist and Weberian thought, viewing city residence as a politically defined situation. In this framework, the experience of urbanisation is understood as the exercise of class and power, shaping how people, labour, goods, and welfare are organised. Consequently, inhabitants of urban communities engage in direct confrontation with the state and its agencies regarding access to scarce resources.
Modern Developments and Urban Problems
During the 1960s and 1970s, there was a notable increase in community group formation and collective action within the inner cities across industrial societies. This period saw writers seeking to integrate Marxism with theories of the social production and organisation of space. For instance, Castells (1977, 1978) focused on the ‘urban problematic’—encompassing issues like housing, transport, redevelopment, and ethnic distribution—arguing that these areas represent a structured social process linked to the political economy of state capitalism. Castells suggested that urban politics would evolve as contradictions widened between society’s productive capacity and its social capacity.
Contemporary Perspectives
While focusing on urban settings, scholars such as Harvey (1973) have cautioned that problems commonly associated with urban areas are not unique to cities but are rather common to all societies, manifesting more clearly in urban environments. This perspective suggests that local issues, regardless of how intensely they are felt or contested by local groups, cannot be strictly categorised as either purely local or purely urban within the context of community politics.