Since man began to inhabit the earth, he formed groups according to their customs, traditions, thoughts, cultures, ideas and beliefs. These groups grew as the population increased. Over time, these groups of people were forming societies where certain rules were established for coexistence and common welfare . When in a society, there are groups of people whose objective is to articulate according to a natural formation, that is, according to their religion, their race, their ideologies and doctrines, communities are formed . In this article we will provide you the difference between Society and Community.
What is Society?
A society is defined as a group of people who live together in an organized way . The etymological origin of the word comes from the Greek ‘societos’ which means ‘friendly association with others’. Thus, sociology is the science that is responsible for studying the facts of society. In a society, individuals cooperate with each other, in an organized way and mediated by communication.
It also supposes the group of a country , subject to the same political authority, under the same laws and social norms. So that they can guarantee the well-being of its inhabitants. There are different types of societies , depending on the nature and common objective it has, such as : civil society, scientific society, industrial society, sports society, among others.
What is Community?
A community is defined as a group of individuals who have common elements among themselves and who coexist in the same geographic space or habitat (as the case may be). According to Max Weber, a community implies the subjective relationship. That is, the affective, of the participants of a community in building a whole. According to this sociologist, in a community individuals are moved by a positive affective union, which favors mutual respect for their beliefs. This allows them to contribute and cooperate in reaching a common goal.
Generally, communities do not remain static , that is, they move, undergo changes and crises, they reorganize. There are different types of communities , for example, the religious community, the scientific community, the education community, the rural community.
Difference between Society and Community
| Society | Community |
| In a society there are diverse interests. | In the community, there are common interests. |
| A society can be made up of a country, a state, towns or entire cities. | Communities are made up of smaller groups of people. |
| They share a similar culture but with differences in their role within society. | They have the same culture, they all work in order to maintain it over time. |
| The rules of coexistence are more rigid and are established by laws, principles and interests. | Their ties are based on the affective, the values and the customs or traditions. |
| There is a division by social stratum | Most of its members are part of the same social stratum |
| They are static population entities. | Communities have movement, they change, they reorganize. In addition, they can ungroup and regroup according to their affective interests. |
