Community-engaged scholarship (CES) is frequently recommended as a postsecondary practice for producing knowledge to address real-world issues and support the public good. But CES has multiple meanings, and understandings overlap with similar terms, such as publicly engaged scholarship. I draw upon recommendations in the field to propose an…

Reviews the past five years of community ties research. Examines recent research for evidence of progress in resolving important conceptual issues, and discusses problems that still persist despite previous cautions. (RAE)

Attempts to develop a "baseline understanding" of the nature of female criminality and its control during the first two decades of the twentieth century, using data from the court system of Muncie. The analysis of such historical data, though not necessarily representative of contemporary times or more urban settings, provide essential…

Examines a historian's experiences and impressions gained while interviewing the immigrant generation in a community of Jewish chicken farmers in Petaluma, California. Information is presented on the differences in attitudes and aspirations between generations, interview techniques, problems of interviewer credibility, and problems of…

Reviews studies carried out since the late nineteenth century on social and economic conditions among Blacks. Early studies were primarily conducted by Black universities. Later, the National Urban League took a prime role in Black community research. (GC)

Highlights steps for carrying out a needs assessment survey research effort in the Black community. Stresses the need for understanding (1) cultural-linguistic and historical factors, (2) the potential or inadvertent role of the researcher, and (3) the obstacles and resistance one may encounter in carrying out the survey and implementing its…

The history of Muncie's religious life in the 1920's and 1930's is examined as an illustration of what happened regarding churches and religion in the "typical" U.S. town. The ethnic and denominational mix and the changes in each are discussed. (RM)

In 1920 Robert S. and Helen M. Lynd published the results of their exhaustive study of everyday life in Muncie, Indiana, dubbing the city "Middletown" as a symbol of the typical American community. Salient conclusions of the study are summarized, and significant recent literature on Middletown is assessed. (RM)

Examines a dimension of neighboring that need not assume friendship as the role model. When the model assumes only a sense of connectedness as defining neighboring, then the residential correlation, shown in many studies between urbanism and neighboring, disappears. Theories of neighboring, study variables, methods, and analysis are discussed.…

Explores geographical definition of communities and tendency for community relations to transcend geographical boundaries. Reinterprets Durkheim's theory of social solidarity to argue that division of labor directly reduces solidarity but indirectly increases solidarity through secondary groups, the state, and the cult of individuality. (LFL)

Addresses the feasibility of establishing standards that would guide communities in protecting the environments of children and families. Recommends an environmental assessment tool that evaluates child well-being, compares community averages in terms of high-risk factors, includes longitudinal assessments of child well-being, examines community…

Five papers examine mountain religion, focusing on Jeff Todd Titon's book, "Powerhouse of God: Speech, Chant, and Song in an Appalachian Baptist Church." Discussants include Paul Salstrom; Deborah Vansau McCauley; Howard Dorgan; Altina Waller; and Charles T. Davis. Titon responds, explaining his views and study of religion. (TES)

A 1958 New York community study dramatized the thesis that macro forces (urbanization, industrialization, bureaucratization) have undermined all small communities' autonomy. Such "oppositional case studies" succeed when they render the dominant view immediately obsolete, have plausible origins, are testable, and generate new research.…

Known as Middletown since Robert and Helen Lynd studied it in 1924, Muncie, like every other U.S. community studied during that period, turned out to be obsessed with the idea of social class. Recently researchers have found in Muncie some tendency toward the disappearance of a preoccupation with social class. (RM)

Discusses methodological issues in cross-cultural studies of diverse communities, including language problems, data collection and analysis, sample size, and dissemination of findings. A study of the information-seeking behavior of ethnolinguistic gatekeepers in several communities in California is described. Suggestions are given for public…