IDIA2009 Conference
A Critical Account of ‘Community’ in Community Informatics
Udo R Averweg
Information Services, eThekwini Municipality and University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
M. A. Leaning
University of Winchester Winchester, Hampshire, United Kingdom
Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) used by community development programmes are distinguished by their advocacy of local interests. With the emerging discipline of Community Informatics (CI), we believe a need exists to critically examine one of its terms of reference - the ‘Community’. We contend that the term ‘Community’ has become used in an unspecific and general manner and that this may dilute and subvert the attention of practitioners in the field. In making this argument, we offer a critical account of the term ‘Community’. It is argued that the term is almost always used in a positive fashion and moreover has been deployed in differing discursive frameworks and political projects. We examine the historical origin of the term and some examples of the manner in which the term has been used in political and sociological projects. We conclude that (1) the term ‘Community’ remains unproblematised and unmindful of its history; (2) the term needs to be recognised as a politically emotive one; (3) as a term of reference its use should be carefully considered within specific contexts; (4) a fuller discourse and exploration of the term in the CI discipline is needed; and (5) ICT deployment in communities should factor in local requirements.
