Urban Bonds

What is the role of the neighbourhood in our understanding of community and how has this role changed over the last century? Talja Blokland seeks to answer this question in this careful ethnographic study of the changing nature of social relationships and urban communities. Careful ethnographic study of the changing nature of social relationships and urban communities. Examines the role of the neighbourhood in our understanding of community and how this has changed over the last century. Interweaves a detailed study of the history and current social life of a poor neighbourhood in Rotterdam, with a reflection on the character of social ties in urban areas everywhere. Draws on American urban sociology and includes provocative discussions on the issues of community and ethnicity.

Preface. 1. Disintegration And The ‘Demise Of Community’. 2. Hillesluis As A Natural Area? Social Ecology And Neighbourhood Use. 3. Personal Networks As Communities. 4. Social Identification And A Grid Of Social Relations. 5. Familiarity And Transactions: Privatization I. 6. Institutions And Attachments: Privatization II. 7. Contemporary Communities And The Importance Of Location. 8. Ethnicity As A Dividing Field. 9. The Neighbourhood In The Imperfect Past. 10. Urban Bonds: Conclusions. Annex: Research Approach. Notes. References. Index