Community Studies: Research Methods

Description

First published Open Access under a Creative Commons license as What are Community Studies?, this title is now also available as part of the Bloomsbury Research Methods series. In the age of globalization and the changing welfare state, community relations are now more important than ever. This book gives an overview of the community studies field, with particular focus on the research methods used, and how they have evolved in recent years. Defining the key terms in the field, it outlines the history of the methods used in community studies and uses examples and case studies to illuminate the theory. This book captures the organization of modern community life and shows how current researchers are working with broader and more imaginative definitions of community. Responding to criticisms of the field, Graham Crow challenges our traditional notions of communities and how they are analysed. Graham Crow's text will be a vital resource to researchers in the field.

Graham Crow is Professor of Sociology and Methodology at the University of Edinburgh and Co-Investigator of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods.

This brief gem of a book is an essential read for students of community studies at all levels. With great care and precision, Crow outlines key features of community studies past and present, providing a critical framework for both understanding and doing dynamic, relevant community studies today. * Luke Eric Lassiter, Director, Graduate Humanities Program, Marshall University Graduate College, USA * Graham Crow's new book is a hymn to sociological studies of community. This focused and precise volume is a perfect first-step in understanding the long history of community studies, the key debates surrounding the approach, and a guide to the lessons previous community researchers have learnt. * Jon Dean in Cultural Sociology *