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Democracy in Action: Community Organizing and Urban Change
In cities across the United States, grassroots organizations are working to revitalize popular participation in disenfranchised communities by bringing ordinary people into public life. By engaging local residents in collective action to achieve common goals, community organizing expands the democratic process and enables people to create strong communities that serve their needs.
This book examines the techniques these organizations use to achieve their goals. Through the stories of ten organizations working in economically and racially diverse urban neighborhoods (in Chicago and Portland, Oregon) the author explores the strengths and limitations of the five dominant models of community organizing in use power-based, community-building, civic, women-centered, and transformative. Based on original empirical research, the book combines in-depth analysis with invaluable lessons for practitioners.
This book examines the techniques these organizations use to achieve their goals. Through the stories of ten organizations working in economically and racially diverse urban neighborhoods (in Chicago and Portland, Oregon) the author explores the strengths and limitations of the five dominant models of community organizing in use power-based, community-building, civic, women-centered, and transformative. Based on original empirical research, the book combines in-depth analysis with invaluable lessons for practitioners.
288 pages, Paperback
First published December 17, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 22, 2017
Clearly delineates the 5 models of community organizing.
October 25, 2017
Smock's book is very readable and gives a great breakdown of the different types of community organizations. Good overview of theory as well as reference guide (tables were very helpful).
January 16, 2016
This was an illuminating read for me.
I've worked in the public and non-profit sectors and been involved with community organising as a volunteer. I have sometimes wondered why, when working with people who have similar goals and values, it can still be so difficult to progress the aims of various organisations or build relationships across organisations. This book helped me reframe my thinking around this somewhat, and I took away what many community organisers what they already know-- there is no one size fits all approach; there is no silver bullet.
The structure of this book was clear and easy to digest. The book identifies five different models of community organising, looking at characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness from several different perspectives and exploring these through case studies. The chapters explore different aspects of community organising in the context of the five different models.
I closed this book with insight into how organisations can thrive in whatever model they most closely align with. I also felt a twinge of triumph, feeling better equipped to challenge resistance against working with community organisations. It was useful to be reminded that limitations are often understandable limits of particular models, not insurmountable personal failures of organisations or their members.
At the end, the book also begins to touch on the gains that can be made when different organisational models align themselves together (noting that this is of course a complex process if the integrity of both organisations/models is to be preserved).
Note that some readers may be surprised by this book if they come from a campaign-oriented background. While there are obvious links to campaigning and organising, this book focuses a bit more on the process of and approach to building social infrastructure.
I've worked in the public and non-profit sectors and been involved with community organising as a volunteer. I have sometimes wondered why, when working with people who have similar goals and values, it can still be so difficult to progress the aims of various organisations or build relationships across organisations. This book helped me reframe my thinking around this somewhat, and I took away what many community organisers what they already know-- there is no one size fits all approach; there is no silver bullet.
The structure of this book was clear and easy to digest. The book identifies five different models of community organising, looking at characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness from several different perspectives and exploring these through case studies. The chapters explore different aspects of community organising in the context of the five different models.
I closed this book with insight into how organisations can thrive in whatever model they most closely align with. I also felt a twinge of triumph, feeling better equipped to challenge resistance against working with community organisations. It was useful to be reminded that limitations are often understandable limits of particular models, not insurmountable personal failures of organisations or their members.
At the end, the book also begins to touch on the gains that can be made when different organisational models align themselves together (noting that this is of course a complex process if the integrity of both organisations/models is to be preserved).
Note that some readers may be surprised by this book if they come from a campaign-oriented background. While there are obvious links to campaigning and organising, this book focuses a bit more on the process of and approach to building social infrastructure.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews