2. A group of people linked by shared characteristics or interests. — From Latin communitate, ablative of communitas; from communis, from munis, benefit.

3. As people who belong to a society, we have the need to belong to one (or several) community(ies). The philosopher Simone Weil argued that rootedness and collectivity were a necessity not only for individuals, but also for society, since in this way its culture and way of life—passed down from generation to generation—are preserved.

4. In short, we could say that a community is a group of people who share several characteristics, including identity, goals, commitment, culture, interaction, or dynamics. As in this issue we are going to talk about diverse communities, we want to explain that there are many types of communities beyond the LGBTIQ+ community, neighborhood associations, or the Basque Autonomous Community. Would you like to know which ones they are?

Communities of Circumstance. 1. These are groups of people who come together due to some circumstances in their lives. Having generally come together because of a misfortune, a catastrophe, or a crisis, these types of communities offer physical and psychological help, resources, or even mutual companionship to people affected by such events. E.g. group therapies (for illnesses, people who have lost loved ones, addictions, etc.), aid organizations in times of crisis (groups that mobilize to help during fires, floods, or situations requiring humanitarian assistance).

2. But since not every event or circumstance is negative, there are also circumstantial communities that are created to share experiences and life events in a new environment. E.g. people who have become mothers or fathers for the first time.

Communities of Identity. 1. These are groups of people who share a cultural, ethnic, disability-related, gender, sexual orientation, or even religious identity.

2. In these types of communities, minorities are very present. The sociologist Louis Wirth defines these groups as “a group of people who, due to their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out in the society in which they live to receive differentiated and unequal treatment, and who therefore consider themselves objects of collective discrimination.” They often suffer such discrimination in areas such as housing, social status, employment, healthcare, or education, among others.

Community of Interest. 1. These are people who come together because they share a common interest. They may live completely different lives, but that interest unites them. They may be connected by hobbies, passions, or professional goals.

2. An example of this type of community is, as mentioned, the community that forms around a hobby, e.g. photography, film, or book clubs. The people who make up the community come together specifically to talk about that particular subject, learning from one another and sharing their thoughts and/or opinions.

3. Another major example is fandoms: people who come together simply because they are fans of, generally, a public figure, e.g. singers, music bands, influencers, fans of a football club, etc. They share their experiences and talk about the world that revolves around that phenomenon. Nowadays, these types of communities usually gather in spaces provided by the Internet, such as forums, social networks, and apps like Discord.

Communities of passion and action. 1. Groups of people with a shared social or political goal. They actively fight for different causes, including raising awareness, defending rights, or promoting justice. They usually organize campaigns, fundraisers, demonstrations, or protests for or against a specific cause.

2. They are also known as activist groups. Some are internationally known, e.g. climate change activists Greenpeace or the British group Just Stop Oil, the human rights organization Amnesty International, or the youth movement founded by Greta Thunberg, Fridays for Future. However, they can also be small and lesser-known communities, e.g. organized student groups or groups protesting against the working conditions offered by their company.

Community of Place. 1. These are people who share a place. The place where they live, their neighborhood, town, territory, country, or even a public space. They (generally) share characteristics of the environment they are in, such as climate, flora, and fauna, but also personal characteristics like cultural identity, social organization, and economic activities.

2. They can be very small communities, such as a building neighborhood association or the community of people who live in the same village, but they can also be larger communities: of a city, a territory (something we know a lot about), or a country.

3. The German philosopher and sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies, in his essay Gemeinschaft und Gesellschaft (Community and Society, 1922), compares small communities with large groups of people who share the same space (which he calls society). Gemeinschaft, or community, is a small group of people who generally share a similar way of life, e.g. daily activities, jobs, beliefs, etc. Members of the community interact and form bonds with one another, remaining distant from centers of power. Meanwhile, Gesellschaft, or society, is made up of many more people, people who do not have much in common. They do not relate to each other as much, and emotional ties are nonexistent. Being closer to power, competitiveness is also greater. Therefore, it is concluded that forming a community with a large number of people is more complex.