Community conflict

Question 1

Community conflict can be identified as a situation where there is a clash of interests or views within a group of people within the same geographical area.
Since the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic the way that people communicate has changed quite quickly so that health restrictions are observed. Tim Levine, Ph.D., chair and distinguished professor in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Communication Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham explains that there is little or no face to face interaction with people outside of the people we live with. Therefore communication on a whole within the community has been drastically impacted. The bond that may have once existed is now weakened, which has given rise to suspicion and conflicts within the community.
The different types of community conflicts that may arise sometimes exist at home, school, and at the workplace. Conflict within the home may arise where both the husband and wife are income earners where they argue over who should do the housework, who should look after the children and whose job should take priority. (research conducted by Beck and Beck-Gernsheim 1995). To resolve this conflict one person’s career or personal development has to take a back seat.
School conflict may arise due to bullying where the vulnerable are taken advantage of by those whom may be more physically superior in size or probably in a higher grade. This issue can be resolved by a person in authority whom is made aware of the situation by addressing the issue and can suggest counselling for both parties.
Conflict in the workplace may occur between employers and employees, all due to both parties having different interests. The employer seeks to keep wages low so that profits can remain high whilst employees want an increase in salary. This is resolved through negotiations where workers are represented by their trade union, whom represent their interest. Meetings are held with the employer and the trade union representative and the matter is resolved.
Culture can be described as the whole way of life of a people, the collection of ideas and habits which they learn, share and transmit from generation to generation (Ralph Linton 1945). There are different types of culture that may exist in a community which can range from high culture, folk culture, mass, popular and subculture. In my community there is the existence of folk culture, which is a culture that is self-created and directly reflects the lives and experiences of the people where traditions are handed down from generation to generation. (Strinati, 1995). It may appear to be changing into a blend of a mass culture. Mass culture is a product of the mass media and consumed by folk culture(Haralambos & Holborn).
Identify the kind of conflicts which you see can develop
Class difference may prove to be a conflict in a community, where the upper class is growing in terms of their wealth and status whilst the lower class remains stagnant, this may create a sense of inequality amongst those in the community because they may feel that they are being unfairly treated because they do not possess the wealth as the upper class and find it difficult if not impossible to achieve certain things in life. For instance a child that belongs to the upper class may find favour in being accepted to a prestigious school due to the wealth that the family possess but not due to their intellectual ability, whereas the child that has the intellectual ability does not due to their class. According to the research findings of Bowles and Gintis they believe that class background is the most important factor influencing levels of attainment. This creates strife in society, with proper and unbiased means of forming proper testing techniques and equipping the lower class with the educational resources this problem can be solved and educational resources can be properly distributed in the community regardless of what class one belongs to.
Another conflict that is sometimes overlooked in a community is that of religion towards women. The Islamic religion have developed a patriarchal system through the dominance of a male minority (El Saadawi 1980). She refers to the priviledge of males being able to have several wives whilst women are shunned by their community for adultery. The veil that is worn by muslim women can be seen as a tangible symbol of women’s oppression, a constraining and restricting form of social control however from an Islamic woman’s view, it as a way of reducing and coping with male oppression (Watson, 1994). El Saadawi, even goes on to point out in the 14th century where women who treated illnesses without special training were labelled and even executed as witches by the Catholic church. Even in the community today they are speculated about and called “obeah women” and are shunned by the majority of their community and looked upon with suspicion. This can be attributed to gender inequality where women are not seen as being equal to men especially in terms of recognition.
Territorial conflicts within the community are not always frequent. This may occur where neighbouring individuals may question where their land boundary lie and make claims to land space that may not belong to them, this may lead to court matters in the judicial system. This is resolved by having their property measured and bordered by qualified persons.

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