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Abstract
Social capital has proven a strong concept in explaining the productive effects of relational and affective ties, explaining and enabling community inclusion, collective identity and mutual support. How social capital is produced, and what benefits it reaps, varies considerably, however, according to social, economic and cultural environment, gender, class and residence. By considering examples from within Australia, including among Indigenous and immigrant communities, and in other diverse settings, I analyse how structural boundaries and social inequalities limit the extent to which some people can access and build social capital. Theories of social capital fail to capture the realities of women's lives, in particular, but class, race, and political variables are all factors that shape the kind of social capital available to different individuals and communities, and so illustrate the political dimensions of inclusion and wellbeing.
Acknowledgements
Rethinking Wellbeing: Essays on Health, Disability and Disadvantage was the result of an ARC LASP (Learned Academies Special Project) grant to the Academy of Social Sciences of Australia, entitled ‘Rethinking Wellbeing: Policy and program issues in disability, disadvantage and community development' (2002–3). I directed the project.
Notes
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