This work follows the evolution of the pattern book houses and how they represented the notion of home and community in American historical memory. The book also includes illustrations of such communities.

Leading scholars, offering international and multidisciplinary viewpoints, examine the meaning of home to elders and the ways in which this meaning may be sustained, threatened, or modified according to changes associated with growing old. Organized into four sections--The Essence of Home, Disruptions of Home, Creating and Recreating Home, and Community Perspectives on the Meaning of Home, this volume explores topics including: What makes a house a home? What role does the meaning of home play in the process of relocation to another place of residence? What is the relationship between a person's home life and cherished possessions such as symbolic jewelry or religious items in late life? How does the community/neighborhood environment influence the way that older people feel about the places in which they live? Contributors include Hans-Werner Wahl, Robert L. Rubinstein, Edmund Sherman, Carolyn Norris-Baker, and Rick Scheidt, among others. As a special feature, this volume concludes with critical commentaries from three eminent scholars, Amos Rapoport, Kim Dovey, and Marie Versperi. This volume will be of interest to practitioners, researchers, upper-level graduates/graduate-level students in gerontology, environmental psychology, social work, and nursing. It will be valuable to everyone in the helping professions who seek a deeper understanding of the ways in which "being at home" and attachment to place plays a key role in the life experience and well-being of their clients as they grow older.

Community, home, and identity are concepts that have concerned scholars in a variety of fields for some time. Legal scholars, sociologists, anthropologists, psychologists, and economists, among others, have studied the impacts of home and community on one's identity and how one's identity is manifested in one's home and in one's community. This volume brings together some of the leading thinkers about the connections between community, home and identity. Several chapters address how the law and lawyers contribute (or detract) from the creation and maintenance of community and, in some cases, the conscious destruction of communities. Others examine the protection of individual and group identities through rules related to property title and use of such things as Home and 'identity property'.

A Networked Self examines self presentation and social connection in the digital age. This collection brings together new work on online social networks by leading scholars from a variety of disciplines. The volume is structured around the core themes of identity, community, and culture—the central themes of social network sites. Contributors address theory, research, and practical implications of the many aspects of online social networks.

This interdisciplinary work discusses the construction, maintenance, evolution, and destruction of home and community spaces, which are central to the development of social cohesion. By examining how people throughout the world form different communities to establish a sense of home, the volume surveys the formation of identity within the context of rapid development, global and domestic neoliberal and political governmental policies, and various societal pressures. The themes of cooperation, conflict, inclusion, exclusion, and balance require negotiation between different actors (e.g., the state, professional developers, social activists, and residents) as homes and communities develop.

This book presents a theory of learning that starts with the assumption that engagement in social practice is the fundamental process by which we get to know what we know and by which we become who we are. The primary unit of analysis of this process is neither the individual nor social institutions, but the informal 'communities of practice' that people form as they pursue shared enterprises over time. To give a social account of learning, the theory explores in a systematic way the intersection of issues of community, social practice, meaning, and identity. The result is a broad framework for thinking about learning as a process of social participation. This ambitious but thoroughly accessible framework has relevance for the practitioner as well as the theoretician, presented with all the breadth, depth, and rigor necessary to address such a complex and yet profoundly human topic.

What is meant by community? Is there a balance between equality, integration and diversity? Does the idea of identity undermine community cohesion? Identity, Ethnic Diversity and Community Cohesion considers these questions and explores the concept of identity and how its different meanings and interpretations impact upon community policy. The book brings together the ideas and perspectives of leading academics, policymakers, think-tank representatives, and community workers, offering a cutting-edge and interprofessional approach to the key debates. Other key features include: - strong links between theory, practice and policy - up-to-date analysis of contemporary policy issues - author commentaries, ′reflections′ on key themes, and case studies that illustrate the relevance of research to ′real life′ - a leading group of editors and authors - the ESRC Identities Programme and the Runnymede Trust represent a wealth of research and policymaking experience. This original and innovative book makes a distinctive contribution to debates about identity, ethnicity and community cohesion. It is of interest to those studying social policy, community studies, politics and sociology as well as being relevant for policymakers, researchers and those working in the public sector. Margaret Wetherell is Professor of Social Psychology at the Open University and Director of the ESRC Identities and Social Action Programme. Michelynn Laflèche, Director of the Runnymede Trust, has headed the Trust′s work programme and strategic policy direction since 2001. Robert Berkeley, a sociologist with a PhD from Trinity College, Oxford, is Deputy Director of the Runnymede Trust.