Many of our current social problems have been attributed to the breakdown or loss of community as a place and to the fragmentation of connections due to an extreme value of individualism in the Western world, particularly in the United States.
1. Social Connections Introduction.- 2. Conceptions of Community: Past and Present Introduction.- 3. Common Ties: Immigrant, Refugee, and Ethnic Communities Introduction.- 4. Mobile Communities: The Tentative Ties of Migrant and and Seasonal Farmworkers.- Introduction 5. Fragmented Ties: The Poor and the Homeless.- Introduction.- 6. Communities in Crisis: Reconnecting Frayed Social Ties.- Introduction.- 7. Excluded Communities: Barriers to Neighboring.- Introduction.- 8. Connecting Seniors: Social Networks of Value.- Introduction.- 9. Connections of Faith: Religion as Community.- Introduction.- 10. Vital Bonds: Social Support, Social Networks, and Health.- Introduction.- 11. The Social Internet: Cybercommunities.- Introduction.- 12. Virtual Connections in New Work Environments.- Introduction.- 13. Ecologically Sustainable Communities: Place-Based and Purpose-Based Connections.- Introduction.- 14. Solitary Communities: Disconnecting From the Common Good Introduction.- Notes.- References.- Index.