Bridging Social Capital: A solution to our divided world
Listening to this episode of Trevor Noah’s podcast was quite inspiring. He talks with Robert Putman about the political polarity we are facing as a society and Putnam, with his background in data and studying governments/societies, offers a very insightful reflection on the importance of social capital. It tickled my brain in the right way, and gave a very real definition to why Mango in a Pot feels so revolutionary.
The world needs more spaces like ours
Mango in a Pot is a shared ceramic workspace used by over 20 artists on a weekly basis, but at its core, Mango is on a mission to connect and inspire the lovely people of our community. There are many other ceramic spaces in Amsterdam, yet the reason why our community continues to grow is that we offer something different - we are offering true connection. According to Robert Putman, we are building valuable social capital that our world so desperately needs.
He attributes the rise of support in right-winged, nationalist, sometimes even fascist ideals, to the continued isolation we are experiencing from one another. Our communities used to be built around a common objective, but now the rise in technological advancements and the running-free of large corporations who seek un-ending profit gain has driven us further away from one another. I’m sure we can all think of many ways that community programs have been replaced by simpler, yet more isolating alternatives.
Bridging different groups of people
Robert Putnam talks about his studies on regional governments in Italy from their shift to localized power structures in the 1970s - his conclusion is that the regional governments who performed the best and had highest rates of satisfaction, were the ones where the most bridging social capital was present. These are community spaces that unite people from different social classes and backgrounds, allowing for a more open way of exchanging ideas. You are far more likely to treat people in your community with respect if you have to see them on a regular basis - which makes sense! Yet, in our cities it's becoming increasingly more difficult to find these spaces that bridge different social groups.
That’s where shared spaces come in. If we take our small community studio for example, we have a member population that’s only uniting factor is their ceramic practice. We have members from all over the place, all different age groups, ethnicities, political orientations, professions, etc. In addition to being a shared workspace, Mango in a Pot is also home to a thriving book club and we host various events throughout the year, most notably our holiday market, which really does an awesome job of including our local neighbourhood in our community.
The bridging of these creative individuals is a beautiful thing to witness, and hopefully inspires other movements of bridging social capital, both in our city and beyond. What the world needs is more connection and more creativity. At Mango, we’re trying our best to do our part.
Some things to reflect on-
What are some ways you foster connection in the communities you find yourself?
What is one way you can bridge the gap between yourself and others in your community that you wouldn’t usually “agree” with?
What is an offline community activity that you can add to your schedule this week?
