Community Life is an up to date and comprehensive account of the sociology of community in modern Britain. It demonstrates the important contribution which studies of community have made to the understanding of a wide range of social, economic and political issues, and links together these analyses to show how the various dimensions of community life are interconnected.

The book opens by looking at the variety of meanings attached to the word 'community' and sets to the scene for many of the general themes running through the book: the diversity of the bases of local social solidarity; the exclusive nature of community relationships, and the centrality of gender divisions to community life. Individual chapters then address a number of different themes:

Throughout, the authors argue that 'community' is a key term in the sociological vocabulary and that the revival of community research is to be welcomed.

By combining an in-depth overview of recent writing in the field with an analysis of the importance of the concept, Community Life is invaluable reading for students, lecturers and researchers.