Community: Difference, Conflict and Democracy within Standing Patterns of Behavior

Susan Saegert (School of Public Health, City University of New York)

Susan Saegert (Graduate Center, CUNY) takes up this idea to examine how it extends to perception of the whole environment, social as well as the physical features. She further develops the troublesome outcomes of ecological analysis when people are situated differently in that ecology with regard to their action possibilities. People of different races, genders and origins can actually not “see” the same thing. Using the James’ concept of habit and Dewey’s concept ofcommunity she looks to possible ways to advance democratic processes for shaping the public realm even as individual and group differences in perception and opportunities continue to diverge.