Some theoretical perspectives on urban community culture research

Abstract

In the world, particularly in Western countries and the United States, the study of community culture has undergone significant fluctuations due to changes in social structures, especially the impact of industrialisation and urbanisation. Using a review-based approach, this article introduces several theoretical perspectives for examining urban community culture, including functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and especially theories of modernisation and cultural change. These theoretical trends can be applied to the study of urban community culture in contemporary Vietnam. The application of these theories helps to identify the role of community culture in social stability, whilst also opening the possibility of comparison between urban community cultures in Vietnam and those in other international urban settings, thereby drawing lessons and suitable directions for future research.