Download or read book Handbook of Community Movements and Local Organizations written by Ram A. Cnaan and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although the way associations and the organization of local social life are intertwined is one of the oldest approaches to community study, the way citizens and residents come together informally to act and solve problems has rarely been a primary focus. Associations are central to important and developing areas of social theory and social action. This handbook takes voluntary associations as the starting point for making sense of communities. It offers a new perspective on voluntary organizations and gives an integrated, yet diverse, theoretical understanding of this important aspect of community life.