What are the Characteristics of Little Community?

Little community is a small group of individuals living together, in whom all essential characteristics of communal living are found. There is mass participation by members in various communal activities.

The Little Community according to Robert Redfield “is a kind of human whole.” This whole is the smallest unit of humanity. In his book entitled, “The Little Community,” Robert Redfield has mentioned from holistic view point that the little communities have been the most predominant form of human living throughout the history of mankind. Anthropologists have done most of their field works in little communities. Little communities have also been called “Small Communities” by Robert Redfield.

Characteristics of Little Community

The chief characteristics of little communities are:

1. Distinctiveness

2. Smallness

3. Homogeneity

4. Self Sufficiency.

1. Distinctiveness

A little community has its own individuality or distinctiveness. According to Robert Redfield in a sense it is distinct, “where the community begins and where it ends.” This distinctiveness is expressed in the group consciousness of the people of the community. It is known who is a villager and who form out side is.

2. Smallness

Little community is a small group of individuals having mutual interrelationship. However, it is not possible to determine the numerical strength. But the number of the members in a little community should not exceed beyond a point where a direct and first hand contact among members becomes difficult. So little community is the unit of personal observation fully representative of the whole.

3. Homogeneity

In a little community activities and states of mind of all persons belonging to a sex and age are alike. Similarly each generation repeats activities of the preceding generation. Therefore little community is slow changing. The members of community show similarity in matters of dress, ways of life, language and cultural outlook.

4. Self-sufficiency

The little community provides for most of activities and needs of its members. In the words of Robert Redfield, “The little community is a cradle-to-the-grave arrangement.” It provides for all the activities and needs of a person from birth to death. It consists of a band of related and friendly families each of which controls and makes exclusive use of a family territory.

Thus distinctiveness, smallness, homogeneity and self sufficiency are the characteristics of a little community. On account of these characteristics only some tribal communities can be considered as little communities, which are having their own culture and are away from wider society. Robert Redfield studied the Maya village and the Yucatan village which represent advance on this scale of our characteristics. According to Robert Redfield, “Like a group of hunters, a well organized village has a personality of its own.” But in the present situations villages are no more little communities. They are coming in contact with urban civilization. They only satisfy two characteristics-smallness and distinctiveness, but they are no more homogenous and self sufficient.

Value of the Study of Little Community

According to Robert Redfield, since the little community is the smallest unit, representative of the whole society, its scientific study gives us the knowledge of the whole society. Analytic and Atomistic studies of the little community have been attempted by many social anthropologists.

Some others have studied social groups within the community known as Small Group Sociology. According to Robert Redfield communities can not be completely described. The phrases “Ecological System,” “Social Structure” “Human career,” “Personality Type” and “World view,” comprehend the community more or less as a whole.