Assignment number: 2

Student number: 46649360

TITLE: Outline the purpose of community development according to the following

(a) Critical theory

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION
2. CRITICAL THEORY APPROACH
3. FUNCTIONALISM APPROACH
4. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM APPROACH
5. CONCLUSION
SOURCES CONSULTED
INTRODUCTION
Community development has a wealth of definitions depending on context and history. A familiar and
often cited definition of community development is that of United Nations Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (1956) in which it state that in community development the effort of the people are united
with those of government authorities to improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of
communities and integrate these communities into the life of the nations to enable them to contribute
fully to national progress (Maistry 2001).

According to Maistry (2001) the objective of community development is to build healthy functioning
communities. This is achieved through interventions for community well-being and driven by the
community themselves and to the extent that is required, external support through the provision of
resources and services in ways that sense the holistic developmental needs of a community.

For the purpose of the essay will outline the purpose of community development according to the
following approaches; Critical theory; Functionalism and Symbolic interactionism. Will then after discuss
which approach is most useful for community development. The essay will conclude with a brief summary
of the discussed approaches.

CRITICAL THEORY
The central uniting focus of critical theory in community development is the empowerment of individuals,
groups and communities to critically analyse their own experiences to understand the ways dominant
institutions and ideology undermine emancipatory social transformation. Critical theory is therefore
essentially normative, in that it combines theory and practice as an intrinsic process of praxis to bring
about social change to affect human conditions, particularly that of the poor and marginalised in the
community (Maistry 2001).

According to Friere (1988) Praxis is a continuous, dialectic process through which individuals (“the poor,
“the oppressed”) gain greater consciousness of themselves and the world they live in through reflecting
on their lived experiences by exchanging these experiences with others in the similar situations. Through
dialogue new ideas and understanding are developed that enable personal transformation
(“emancipation” of the individuals and groups involved in the dialogue

The concept of emancipatory social transformation from Freire perspective comes from a process of
“conscientisation” whereby “the oppressed” uncover the contradictions that exist in the economic, social
political structures of society controlled by “dominant institutions, individuals and groups”.
Conscientisation seeks to enable individuals, groups and communities to make critical link between their
personal circumstances of poverty, marginalisation and oppression to the wider structural factors in
society (Maistry 2001).
FUNCTIONALISM THEORY
Functionalists argue that society consists of a hierarchy of structures and stability is the central essential
element to achieve development outcome. Society’s structures and institutions must work together to
achieve developmental outcome (Stewart 2015: 16).

Pawar and Torres (2010) suggest that ideological, capacity-building and partnership approaches can be
used to help develop integrated community. In integrated community according to Pawar and Torres
(2010) is one that brings every person into equal membership of a community by creatively combining its
social, economic and political (power) aspect. Integrated community minimise division by respecting
human dignity, worth and human rights, which it does by meeting basic existential and development
needs.

The functionalist approach assumes that society consist of independent components, “institutions” that
fit together to provide a stable functioning and social system. This society works towards stability and
these components include the family, education system, culture system, political system and economic
system. Each of these components fulfils specific functions to meet the needs of society and individual are
socialised into norms and values of society through these institutions (Stewart 2015: 16).

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
According to Stewart (2015) symbolic internationalism argues that our interactions with each other within
communities and across society enable us to establish social relationships and give us a sense of identity
and belonging. Social relationships in society are constructed from our interpretations and meanings we
attach to these symbols. The way we construct our self-identity and well-being also extents to the way we
engage with institutions of society, how we interpret the roles of such institutions as representing our
interest.

According to this theoretical perspective social change come through our active engagement with each
other and the construction and reconstruction of social relatives and through being positive and
accepting the status quo (functionalist), nor y battling against each other and institutions (conflict).

This perspective allows us to see the importance of understanding of community process, the importance
of discussion and conscientisation and the importance of community development being enduring,
reliable and positive symbol of a way forward to achieving the goal of all. This approach assumes that
society is constructed by everyday relationships which consist of both spoken and unspoken rules of
behaviour (Stewart 2015).

Critical theory is the most useful approach for community development, this approach according to
Ledwith (1997) critical thoughts leads to critical actions. Thus, education is located at the interface of
liberation and domestication. He states that this is not a neutral space. The power ideas have the
possibility of either reducing us to objects in our own history. It is critical important to Understanding of
how dominant ideology deceives fragments and distorts the interest of the many, in favour of the power
and privilege of dominant interest.

I agree with Ledwith (1997) when he argue that without insight into the structure of dominance which
subordinate the interest of the more vulnerable, the community worker is not able to effect the critical
action necessary to transform the social relations; understanding ideology and how it functions is crucial
to the creation of education of socialism. Without this, according to Ledwith (1997) ideas and actions are
‘trapped within the dominant ideological discourse rather than aimed at disarticulating our own
transformed socialist frame.

Through the critical approach community development can be achieved by focusing on the
empowerment of individuals, groups and communities by critically analysing their own experiences to
understand the ways dominant institutions and ideology undermine emancipatory social transformation.

The functionalist approach fails to explains inequality in communities that lead to poverty and hunger, it
suggest that inequality has always existed and will continue to exist because it has a social function, such
an explanation by the functionalist is based on ignorant to inequality (Stewart 2015).

CONCLUSION
In this essay the purpose of community development based on critical theory approach, functionalism
approach and symbolic interactionism approach were outlined. In critical theory we learned that the
primary goal and philosophy of the approach is to understand and help overcome the social structure
through which they are dominated and “oppressed”. The functionalist argued that society consist of a
hierarchy of structures and stability is the central essential element to achieve development outcome in
which society’s structures and institutions work together to create social solidarity and achieve
development. The symbolic interactionism also argued that the way we construct our self-identity and
well-being extent to the way we engage with institutions of society.

SOURCES CONSULTED
Ledwith, M.2001. Community work as critical pedagogy: Re-envisioning Freire and Gramsci, from
Community Development Journal. 36(3): 171-182. Oxford University Press.

Maistry, M. 2001. Towards professionalization: Journey of community development in the African and
South African Context, from Africanus Journal of Development Studies. 42(2): 29-41. Unisa Press

Stewart, P.D.S. Community Development: Only study guide for DVA 2602. University of South Africa
2015.

Pawar, M & Torres, R. 2011. Integrated community development through dialogue, capacity-building and
partnership in an Australian town, from Journal of Comparative Social Welfare. 27(3): 253-268. Routledge
2011.