Globalisation and community - place, belonging and agency

Abstract

In the face of global social and economic change, social commentators have strongly argued that there is an increasing diminution of a sense of secure wellbeing; and hence also the dissolution of community. In his recent book, The Culture of New Capitalism (2006), the social critic Richard Sennett too has argued that the new global economy has dissolved past certainties and created a host of new anxieties. Despite these arguments, our research, part of a larger local/global community sustainability research project, across eight community sites (including Malaysia and Australia) in the Asia Pacific region, attempting to better understand the complexities of contemporary community life; suggests that people are not passively accepting the dissolution of individual connection, community or nationality. Many are actively engaged in seeking to express and redefine their sense of place and belonging locally. They are vigorously attempting, by actively interpreting their own experiences, embracing agency to sustain or rebuild viable local communities. These can have both negative and positive dimensions period taken by the women and to analyse the social and economic adjustment (coping) taken. A total of 700 respondents participated in the study. The asessment of difficulties and adjustment faced by single mothers may be used to design appropriate human capital development program to enable them to achieve social and economic independency thus help them adjust quickly to single motherhood.