Social Capital and Social Practices of Local Communities: Based on Expert Interviews

The research focuses on the process of forming the social capital of local communities. The article shows that it is through social practices, their dissemination, and replication that the social capital of local communities is formed. The study focuses on neighborhood communities in cities, and these communities may sometimes overlap with local communities within their borders. Neighborhood is based on people living in close proximity to each other. The neighborhood community includes local residents who are united by a common area of residence, close interests, and problems and tasks; they interact with each other to solve these problems. There are two directions of research of the local community: socio-territorial (community of place) and on the basis of common ties and interests (community of interests). The research methodology is based on a resource-based approach to the social capital of communities (theories of P. Bourdieu, N. Lin, and R. Putnam). According to this approach, social capital has a social nature, and community members benefit from joint interaction by actively participating in community activities in order to create or accumulate a resource. Thus, social capital consists of resources embedded in social relationships and social structure that can be mobilized by the community. The social practices of Volgograd’s local communities settlements were analyzed based on expert interviews (N = 14): volunteer practices, practices of conducting joint events on landscaping, and the formation of interest groups were studied. Social practices of local communities contribute to the creation and strengthening of social ties between community members, which allows for the formation and accumulation of social capital. In turn, social capital simplifies the organization and implementation of social practices in the community.