Community development as a synonym for cultural management and self-management

Abstract

Nowadays, there are alternative approaches to improve the living conditions of the communities that, instead of segregating the population, involve it with participatory methodologies and joint projects, an example of this is Social Development that at some point it had a human focus coupled with an economic one. Thus, this article will explore the theoretical bases of Community Development (CD) and the different approaches that exist according to the context in which they have developed, with the purpose of interpreting in a more assertive way the phenomenon of research that happens on these pages. Consequently, the article will be divided into three interconnected parts: the first will address the antecedents through the historical-political and social context of CD from its beginnings to the present; in the second, the theoretical perspectives will be seen, as well as the diversity of contrasts and coincidences of the authors who have written about it, placing special emphasis on the national context and, in the third part, the methodology and areas of intervention of Community Development. At the end, a comparison will be made between visions and contexts and it will be decided that Zárate’s theoretical perspective is the most convenient in the management and self-management processes of the communities, especially due to the educational and social approach that can give positive results at the level cultural.