Rediscovering community again and again and again!

Abstract

Community is everywhere it seems. Again.  This time round, it seems to have been rediscovered as the ultimate solution to the public disorder seen in various parts of the UK in recent times, though not so far in Scotland.  The leader of Edinburgh District Council at the time no doubt had his fingers crossed when he talked about '[strengthening] our will to preserve the great community spirit and resilience we enjoy across our capital city'.  Even King Charles, that well-known communitarian, has spoken of how he has been greatly encouraged 'by the many examples of community spirit that countered the aggression and criminality from the few'.  Of course, there are many who would dispute the basis and sources of these and many other contemporary claims about the veracity of community. As Marj Mayo (1975) summed it up nearly half a century ago:

            It is not just that the term [community] has been used ambiguously, it has been contested, fought over and appropriated for different uses and interests to justify different politics, policies and practices.