Constructing communities around symbolic public issues: Instrumental and symbolic aspects

Abstract

This study examines a specific, mostly hidden process of local development programs: the way the program influences the symbolic contents, in particular, the identity of the local community for the successful implementation of the program.

The social constructionist theory on communities serves as a strating point for the current paper. Cohen’s theory, which conceptualizes the community as a constructed entity is one of the foundations; the other comes from the idea that the construction of a community is not necessarily a spontaneous process, but may result from purposeful political efforts. 

According to Summers’ typology, development programs can be labelled as either ’development in the community’ or ’development of the community’ programs, the former directed to modify the potentials of the community and the latter the internal relations of the community. The study concludes that this typology is inadequate for describing the relationship between the local development program and the local community. In fact, every development program consists of two sub-programs: the first (visible) subprogram has declared (instrumental and/or symbolic) objectives, and the other, mostly hidden subprogram is directed at manipulating the symbolic relations of the community to help realize the goals of the first one. This second subprogram could be most influential in the cases when the manipulation affects strong symbolic entities, first and foremost, the identity of the local community.