gemeinschaft society

A community bound together in a tightly knit pattern which is socially homogeneous and based on a clear-cut piece of territory. Gemeinschaft is a world dominated by face-to-face contacts, where each person is aware of his or her status, each is attached to a particular place, and the community is well regulated. It is said to be a feature of villages and small towns, and contrasts with gesellschaft society, said to be a feature of an urban, industrialized populace. Both concepts are idealized; in real life there are ingredients of both, in varying proportions, in all societies. For example, within many cities there are neighbourhoods which operate as urban villages.