“The Somebody Elses Is Getting Few and Far between”: Solidarity and Individuality in Rural Texas Communities

Abstract

How do small communities lose solidarity, and how can professional communicators help them to move toward constructive community dialogue? In this paper, the authors focus on Community C1. We find that in contrast to other communities, C1 participants express low solidarity (the ties that bind people together in a community or society). Drawing on documents and statistics, we identify factors that have frayed C1’s solidarity, including fluctuations in regional industry and low trust in local government. We conclude by discussing the insights that professional communicators can offer communities like C1 as they move toward constructive community dialogue.