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Progressive Community Organizing

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Progressive Community Organizing Progressive Community Organizing Progressive Community Organizing A Critical Approach for a Globalizing World LORETTA PYLES New York London Routledge Routledge Taylor & Francis Group Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue 2 Park Square New York, NY 10016 Milton Park, Abingdon Oxon OX14 4RN © 2009 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-415-95780-9 (Softcover) Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright Law, no part of this book may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or uti- lized in any form by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopy- ing, microfilming, and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publishers. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pyles, Loretta. Progressive community organizing : the roots of social change / Loretta Pyles. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-415-95780-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Community organization. 2. Social action. I. Title. HM766.P95 2009 361.2--dc22 2008029760 Visit the Taylor & Francis Web site at http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the Routledge Web site at http://www.routledge.com Contents Preface...............................................................................................................................................xi Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... xiii ION ISECT Foundations of Community Organizing 1Chapter 1Chapter Introduction ..................................................................................................................3 Privatization, Globalization, and Resistance ................................................................5 Defining Community Organizing ................................................................................6 What Is Community? ..............................................................................................6 What Is Organizing?................................................................................................7 Organizing Versus Other Interventions ...................................................................7 A Critical Approach to Organizing ..............................................................................9 The Journey of Progressive Organizing ..................................................................... 10 Empowerment and Social Change......................................................................... 11 Questions for Reflection ............................................................................................. 14 Suggestions for Further Inquiry .................................................................................15 Books .....................................................................................................................15 Web ........................................................................................................................15 Key Terms ..................................................................................................................15 2Chapter 2Chapter The Self-Aware Organizer ......................................................................................... 17 The Call of Organizing .............................................................................................. 17 Connecting the Personal and Political ................................................................... 19 The Perils of Organizing ............................................................................................ 19 Anger .....................................................................................................................20 Fear ........................................................................................................................20 Despair................................................................................................................... 21 Burnout ..................................................................................................................22 Co-optation ............................................................................................................22 An Organizer’s Path to Meaning and Success ...........................................................22 Persistence .............................................................................................................23 Clarity ....................................................................................................................23 Joy ..........................................................................................................................23 Questions for Reflection .............................................................................................24 Suggestions for Further Inquiry .................................................................................24 Books .....................................................................................................................24 Web ........................................................................................................................24 Key Terms ..................................................................................................................25 3Chapter 3Chapter Theories and Ideas for the Progressive Organizer .....................................................27 The Marxist Tradition ................................................................................................28 v vi Contents Critical Theory ......................................................................................................29 Analysis of the Marxist Tradition..........................................................................30 Feminist Perspectives .................................................................................................30 Analysis of Feminist Perspectives .........................................................................32 Civil Society Perspectives .......................................................................................... 33 Participatory Democracy .......................................................................................34 Analysis of Civil Society Perspectives .................................................................. 35 Anarchist Thought ...................................................................................................... 35 Analysis of Anarchist Thought..............................................................................37 Postmodern Perspectives ............................................................................................37 Social Constructionism .........................................................................................38 Analysis of Postmodern Perspectives ....................................................................40 Developing a Critical Approach .................................................................................40 Questions for Reflection ............................................................................................. 41 Suggestions for Further Inquiry ................................................................................. 41 Books ..................................................................................................................... 41 Web ........................................................................................................................ 41 Key Terms ..................................................................................................................42 4Chapter 4Chapter Learning from Social Movements .............................................................................. 43 Understanding Social Movements ..............................................................................44 Dimensions of Social Movements .........................................................................45 Emergence and Effectiveness of Social Movements .............................................46 A Brief History of Social Movements ........................................................................48 Women’s Movements .............................................................................................49 Labor Movements .................................................................................................. 51 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Movements ............................ 53 Disability Rights Movements ................................................................................54 Reflections on Social Movements ..............................................................................57 Questions for Reflection .............................................................................................58 Suggestions for Further Inquiry .................................................................................58 Books .....................................................................................................................58 Web ........................................................................................................................58
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