1st Edition

Community Development for Social Change

By Dave Beck, Rod Purcell Copyright 2020
    288 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    288 Pages 7 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Community Development for Social Change provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and practice of community development and associated activities, discusses best practice from global experience and links that to the UK context. The book integrates the realities of practice to key underpinning theories, human rights, values and a commitment to promoting social justice.

    A range of practice models are described and analysed, including UK models, popular education and community organising, as well as a range of practice issues that need to be understood by community development workers. For example, strategies to promote individual and community empowerment, challenging discrimination, building and sustaining groups, and critical reflection on practice.

    Finally, a range of case studies from the UK and overseas illustrates good practice in diverse contexts. These case studies are analysed with reference to the values of community development, the promotion of social justice and the underpinning theories. It is an essential text for those on community development courses as well as for a range of workers, including local government, national and local voluntary agencies, and community-based organisations.

    Section 1 The Context of Community Development Work

    1.1 Values and purpose of Community Development

    1.2 Social Change

    1.3 Human Rights: a framework for action

    1.4 Anti-Oppressive Practice

    1.5 A Globalised and changing world: the local impact

    1.6 Living under Neo-Liberalism: challenges and opportunities

    1.7 Community Development in the UK and how we got here

    Section 2 Underpinning Theories

    2.1 What is Community?

    2.2 Gramsci / Hegemony and the nature of power

    2.3 Freire and Critical Consciousness

    2.4 Space and Everyday Life in Communities

    Section 3 Models of Practice

    3.1 Overview of current practice

    3.2 Direct Action

    3.3 Community Organising

    3.4 Slum Dwellers International

    3.5 Freire and Popular Education

    3.6 Asset Based Community Development and Social Capital

    3.7 Integrated Models of Practice

    Section 4 Practice Issues for Community Development Work

    4.1 Understanding the Community: Psychogeography and Photovoice

    4.2 Promoting Empowerment

    4.3 Community Capacity Building and Human Capability

    4.4 Building Community Resilience

    4.5 Leadership in the Community

    4.6 Working with Groups

    4.7 Evaluating your practice

    Section 5 Case Studies of Practice

    5.1A Statement of Hope, by Andy Turner 

    5.2 Community impact of an Australian Aboriginal Art Centre by Trudi Cooper 

    5.3 Popular Education and Neighbourhood Centre Work, by PJ Humphreys and Peter Westoby 

    5.4 A Community Development route to environmental Social Enterprise, by John Stansfield 

    5.5 Play Sufficiency as an organising principle of Community Development, by Ben Tawil and Mike Barclay 

    5.6 reative Nottingham North – arts-based community development, by Frances Howard 

    5.7 Young people, resident artists and curators and a community arts project, by Tina Salter 

    5.8 The Joy Project, by Sealey, Jones, Lewis and Gregory 

    5.9 Show Racism the Red Card, by Luke Campbell and Nicola Hay 

    5.10 The Bengali Women’s Programme, by Rick Gwilt and Rehana Begum 

    5.11 Developing new generation of BAME community-based leaders, by Yvonne Field 

    5.12 A case study in kindness and the power of small actions, by Martin Purcell 

    Section 6 Summing Up

    6.1 What Community Development can achieve

    6.2 The Journey of Community Development

    6.3 Statement of Hope

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Dave Beck manages the postgraduate programmes in Community Development at the University of Glasgow. With more than 20 years of Community Development experience, his research interests are rooted in participatory approaches to thinking about and doing empowering practice for social change. He is a member of the International Committee of the Community Development Society. Currently, he is co-editor of the Radical Community Work Journal.

    Rod Purcell is a community development worker by profession. He also has an academic background, which includes Director of Community Engagement in the School of Education, and Head of the Department of Adult and Continuing Education at the University of Glasgow. He was a board member of the International Association for Community Development and Chair of the UK Federation for Community Development Learning. Rod is author of several books and many articles on community development. Currently, he is co-editor of the Radical Community Work Journal.