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The Roots of Communities and Social Capital

The Roots of Communities and Social Capital
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Author(s): Ben Kei Daniel (University of Saskatchewan, Canada)
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 17
Source title: Social Capital Modeling in Virtual Communities: Bayesian Belief Network Approaches
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): Ben Daniel (University of Saskatchewan, Canada)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-663-1.ch001

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Abstract

Communities are important social systems accountable for sustainability and continuity of humanity. They provide a variety of support to their members, ranging from physical to emotional. Fundamentally, communities evolve when people identify with each other; grow a shared sense of identity, shared culture, language, folklore and professional practices. Communities also develop when members identify with each other, build collective conscience and identify common goals—the village council, for example can work to fight crimes and social injustice. Though communities are to all intents and purposes immutable social system, they are not just empty social boxes waiting for people to populate. They are abstract social systems, where groups of people create shared identities, values, norms, and beliefs to systematically regulate their own behaviours. Since, communities are abstract social systems, the way they emerge, develop, change, and revitalises themselves, serving as focal interests to some individuals but remains mystery to many researchers. It is for this reason social capital is often used as an explanatory paradigm for the inner workings of communities. This Chapter provides an overview of what constitutes a community. It provides some background context to the theory of social capital. More specifically, this Chapter reviews social capital within place-based communities and the logic for extending it to virtual communities. The Chapter also outlines the goals of this book, its intended audience, and the utility derive from a model of social capital.

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