Samorządna społeczność lokalna. Tradycja i codzienność “civil society” na przykładzie małego miasta

Abstract

The article tackles the issue of local community, which is presented here in two aspects. The first section refers to theoretical grasps of the issues related to a sociological view of an extremely important theme present in scientific reflection on society: the local community. The second part focuses on the case of a small town as a construct in a broader social context. The town of Sławków, situated in the border region of the provinces of Silesia and Lesser Poland, is the example I use to show the importance of self-governance at the level of institutions of power and in regard to social awareness. I take into account the context of the region, nation, state and Europe, while on the other hand I draw attention to the significance that tradition and local history can have in generating residents' identity, in shaping and spreading awareness of the essence of belonging to a ‘little homeland', in regard to models of individual and social conduct, collective perception, and in the responsible development of civil society in a small town.