Identity, Culture and the Politics of Community Development

Book excerpt: This volume takes as its starting point that issues of identity and culture are important and relevant for community development in nearly every society. It is therefore essential that community development practitioners acknowledge both culture as well as the political necessity of incorporating cultural systems, cultural values and traditions into community development initiatives. This book argues that including identity and culture in community development design, and treating identity and culture as an intrinsic asset can be beneficial for all types of community action, from social cohesion to community economic development. This book is a rethinking and reconceptualising of “community” in an international context, and interrogates what community building, community engagement and community development could entail in this context. The contributors in this volume address identity, culture, and community development in both developing and developed countries from multidisciplinary perspectives. The chapters explore different conceptual and theoretical frameworks in analysing identity and culture in community development, and provide empirical insights on community development efforts around the globe. Furthermore, the chapters explore different community engagement processes, different development models and different stakeholder participation models and processes in an effort to demonstrate that there is no one-size-fits-all design when it comes to community development.