Building Blocks of the Past  Building Blocks of the Past*  - the
community biography approach to local history - Stefan Bielinski
This essay focuses on community life in the past and considers
issues related to the identification and understanding of
historic communities. Let's begin by offering the half-borrowed
observation that a community exists in the eye of its beholder.
The term "community" means different things to different people.
It is defined by each person on the basis of one's individual
experiences, inclinations, and needs. As such, communities have
been described in political or economic terms. Sometimes, they
are identified by building architecture, street plans, or even
natural features. But most often, people envision communities in
humanistic terms. This essay focuses on communities that are
defined by the lives and life stories of their members - the
people who live in them.  For the humanist, the term community
begins with the coming together of people with something in
common. We unders