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Community Organizing and Development

Fourth Edition

Herbert J. Rubin, Northern Illinois University  •  Irene S. Rubin, Northern Illinois University

 

Overview

This totally revised edition of Community Organizing and Development more fully examines the broad and ever-changing political and social settings that influence collective actions.  In doing so, it describes the infra-structure of social change — the knowledge, personnel, and organizations — that enable change to be successfully accomplished.  

 

New to this edition:

• Chapters have been fully updated and grouped into effective teaching units.
• A more fully developed progressive organizing model is added that explicitly links values to social actions to provide an integrative theme for the text.
• More  discussion of the importance of the Web–as an aid for organizing political and confrontational actions, as well guidance in economic and social development projects.
• Increased coverage of the practical details of organizing and development — fund raising, publicity, running an organization, and orchestrating political actions.  

• Two new overview chapters, with Chapter 2 presenting descriptive narratives of successful organizing and development work and Chapter 3 examining contrasting models of organizing. 
• Expanded coverage of the importance of values and ideology, both for motivating organizing work as well as for understanding the actions of the opposition.
• Numerous examples that show students a wide range of possible careers in social change work.

“As a long time community organizer working internationally with ACORN International, we have been waiting eagerly for Beck and Purcell’s book. Community organizations are gaining important and potentially powerful footholds all over the globe, and Beck and Purcell’s book is going to be at the front of every organizer’s shelf in trying to understand this phenomenon, avoid the easy mistakes, and face the critical challenges. Thanks in advance!” 

“Community organising has come centre stage, promoted from varying perspectives—governments seeking to manage and social movements, including trade union organisations, seeking to challenge manifestations of social inequality and social injustice. This book will be particularly valuable in this context, stimulating reflection on differing experiences of community organising internationally.” 

“This is an impressive and much needed analysis of community organising internationally. It is a timely reminder of an activity that can effectively challenge the politically and economically powerful organisations that oppress communities everywhere.” 

The book provides a comprehensive introduction to the wide variety of approaches that guide social change, social activism, and community building work. Community Organizing and Development links various theories of organizing to the techniques and tactics of practice. It is vividly illustrated by dozens of real-life practice examples. It balances descriptions of protest actions and visible projects with the behind-the-scenes routines that make such work possible. The book describes and illustrates the skills and organizational techniques needed to undertake successful community projects, such as converting a former crack house into safe, clean, affordable housing. Designed for social workers or community program coordinators.

This revised edition of a well-known and widely used text in community organizing and development fully examines the broad and changing political and social settings that influence actions; while portraying the infra-structure of social change — the knowledge, personnel, and organizations — that enable such work to be successfully accomplished.  

 

The text brings together the practicalities of  organizing and development — fund raising, working out news releases, running an organization, orchestrating political actions, academic knowledge — and explains why various approaches work; as well as the values and ideologies that guide what is to be done.  It provides the foundations of organizing and development work and then describes how activists — through following either a social confrontation model or an economic and social production approach — can respond to economic and social problems.

This revised edition of a well-known and widely used text in community organizing and development fully examines the broad and changing political and social settings that influence actions; while portraying the infra-structure of social change — the knowledge, personnel, and organizations — that enable such work to be successfully accomplished. The text brings together the practicalities of organizing and development — fund raising, working out news releases, running an organization, orchestrating political actions, academic knowledge — and explains why various approaches work; as well as the values and ideologies that guide what is to be done. It provides the foundations of organizing and development work and then describes how activists — through following either a social confrontation model or an economic and social production approach — can respond to economic and social problems.

Inspired by the Arab Spring, which continues to effect changes throughout the Middle East, and the global Occupy movement, many are looking toward community organizing as a realistic, tried, and tested way to address our many global problems. This book is the first to explore the diverse history of community organizing, telling stories of its successes and failures and uncovering the lessons that can be applied today. It analyzes contemporary examples from all over the world—against wider theoretical frameworks—and examines their ability to contribute to sustainable social change.

Dave Beck manages the postgraduate programs in community development at the University of Glasgow. Rod Purcell is director of community engagement at the University of Glasgow.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Preface

 

Part  One:  Progressive Organizing  

Chapter 1:  Organizing and Development for Progressive Social Change  

Chapter 2:  A World of Action: A World of Hope  

Chapter 3:  Models for Implementing Progressive Social Change: Commonalities, Differences and Reconciliations 

 

Part Two:  The Three Pillars of Progressive Organizing  

Chapter 4:  Empowering Individuals  

Chapter 5:  Building Community to Create Capacity for Change  

Chapter 6:  Empowering Through Building Progressive Organizations  

 

Part Three:  Problems, Programs and Precedents  

Chapter 7:  Social Problems and Public Policy  

Chapter 8:  Intersecting Histories: Community Organizing,  Issue Mobilization, and Social Movements

Chapter 9:  Learning About Personal, Community, and Social Needs Through Action Research  

 

Part Four:  Building Capacity to Initiate Collective Action  

Chapter 10:  Activists, Organizers, and Social Change Professionals  

Chapter 11:  Creating Capacity Through Effective Organizational Administration  

Chapter 12:  Expanding Capacity Through Empowering, Participatory Meetings  

Chapter 13:  Building Capacity By Working with the Support Sector  

 

Part Five:  Compelling Change Through Social Mobilization  

Chapter 14:  An Overview to Social Mobilization Campaigns  

Chapter 15:  Mobilizing Individuals and Groups  

Chapter 16:  Influencing the Public Sector:Civic and Administrative Engagement  

Chapter 17:  Compelling Change Through Power Tactics  

Chapter 18:  Tools for Strengthening Social Mobilization Campaigns: Lawyers and Litigation Publicity and the Mass Media; Negotiations

Chapter 19:  Social Action: Magnifying Power Through Coalitions.  

 

Part Six:  Implementing Change Through the Community Economic Development and Social Production Approach 

Chapter 20:  An  Introduction to the Community Economic Development and Social Production Model 

Chapter 21:  Skills for Accomplishing Economic and Social Production Work  

 

Part  Seven:  Epilogue: Working Toward a Progressive Society  

Chapter 22:  Epilogue: Working Toward a Progressive Society  

 

Bibliography