Searching for Community: Representation, Power and Action on an Urban Estate

At a time when politicians place increasing importance on the role of 'community' in overcoming social problems, this insightful book asks the vital question "What is community, anyway?" Is it an answer to social problems or an illusion to be dismissed? The book is written from the perspective of the late Jeremy Brent's 30 year involvement as a youth worker in Southmead, a housing estate in Bristol, England, and a place where discourses of community run strong. The book is a must-read for students and practitioners in the fields of community development. It presents a variety of perspectives to challenge the ways in which areas of poverty and disrepute are represented. It examines ways to understand and engage with the troublesome concept of 'community,' vividly describing the collective actions of young people and adults to show the way community is enacted as a combination of dreams, actions, and materiality. Searching for Community also provides a unique mix of practical knowledge and a sophisticated analysis of popular, professional, and theoretical ideas of community. It makes uneasy reading for those looking for simplistic solutions to issues including youth crime, social marginalization, and community empowerment.