Community Activation For Integral Development

As mass global and social media communications spread across the globe, we are seeing a need for a change in the way we approach issues of political and economic development. The effects of these growing communications are that, on the one hand, we see the significance of place rising, while on the other, marginalized people clamour to be heard and identities become increasingly threatened. We are quickly realizing that a ‘one-size fits all’ approach is not going to work. Despite more than half a century of attempts to address issues of development, we have seen fairly bleak results. In fact, the rising of economic stars, such as Japan and the Pacific Tigers hitherto, and China and India of late, have little to do with such programs of development or cultural studies, notwithstanding their accomplishment. Typically, such successes have developed top-down, with theories born and bred in the ‘West’ affecting,or maligning, practices in the ‘rest’. The approach taken in this book looks at these developments by turning them on their head: instead, starting bottom-up with an emphasis on what the author terms ‘community activation’. With a selection of case studies, this volume looks at where community activation can be found and explores how it could evolve and be of use in developing societies at large. In the process, he addresses such topics as how to embed development in a particular society, how to generate social and economic solidarity, and how to generate wealth from pre-industrial and post-industrial networks. This book provides a guide for readers on how to build community within their organization-and-society from the ground up.

As mass global and social media communications spread across the globe, we are seeing a need for a change in the way we approach issues of political and economic development. The effects of these growing communications are that, on the one hand, we see the significance of place rising, while on the other, marginalized people clamour to be heard and identities become increasingly threatened. We are quickly realizing that a ‘one-size fits all’ approach is not going to work. Despite more than half a century of attempts to address issues of development, we have seen fairly bleak results. In fact, the rising of economic stars, such as Japan and the Pacific Tigers hitherto, and China and India of late, have little to do with such programs of development or cultural studies, notwithstanding their accomplishment. Typically, such successes have developed top-down, with theories born and bred in the ‘West’ affecting,or maligning, practices in the ‘rest’. The approach taken in this book looks at these developments by turning them on their head: instead, starting bottom-up with an emphasis on what the author terms ‘community activation’. With a selection of case studies, this volume looks at where community activation can be found and explores how it could evolve and be of use in developing societies at large. In the process, he addresses such topics as how to embed development in a particular society, how to generate social and economic solidarity, and how to generate wealth from pre-industrial and post-industrial networks. This book provides a guide for readers on how to build community within their organization-and-society from the ground up.

In this fourth and final volume of the CARE-ing for Integral Development series, Ronnie Lessem integrates all that has come before in terms of: Community activation; Awakening integral consciousness; and institutionalized Research. Here he focuses on individual and community development alongside that of the organization or society, and sets it in the context of an integral economy. The four critical success factors identified in recognizing and releasing integral development aligned with CARE are: GROUNDING – linking up with and building upon existing local and global movements for socio-economic development; EMERGENCE – maintaining interconnected focus; NAVIGATING – locating and developing GENE-ius in a particular community/society; EFFECTING – committing to resolving an issue and identifying the most fertile development path. Embodying Integral Development offers a comprehensive system of accreditation. Supported by examples and illustrations of CARE, this book makes a case for Integral Development as a whole. It argues that it is a qualitative means of self-assessment rather than a quantitative one, focused on engagement, immersion and interpretation, as well as evaluation, rather than empirical verification.

At a time of global economic crisis and disillusionment with capitalism, Adodo offers refreshing and positive insight into a more integral way of business management, enterprise and community development as well as holistic healing in Africa. For over three decades, Africa was the recipient of billions of dollars in aid funds that were meant to catapult the continent from undeveloped to developed status. Yet the more the aid poured in, the poorer African countries became. The devastating effect of western economic models in Africa that followed is well documented. Integral Community Enterprise in Africa exposes the limitations of existing theories, such as capitalism, socialism and communism, and shows how western theories were imposed on Africa. Such imposition of concepts and ideas is not only demeaning but also unsustainable, serving only the interest of the elite. Father Anselm Adodo argues for the need to have a southern theory to serve as an alternative to western theories. The majority of African intellectuals and activists, while criticizing existing theories, often do not provide alternative theories to address the prevalent inadequacies entrenched in conventional social, political and economic systems. This revolutionary book aims to address this lapse and proposes the theory of communitalism as a more indigenous, sustainable and integral approach to tackling the social, political, economic and developmental challenges of today’s Africa. There is an African alternative to capitalism, socialism and communism – a surer path to sustainable development in and from Africa. This is a book that is positioned at the very core of a much needed African Renaissance. A profoundly new approach to development in Africa, this is essential reading for anyone concerned with authentic development in Africa and in the world.

Integral Green Zimbabwe: An African Phoenix Rising by Ronnie Lessem, Alexander Schieffer and Liz Mamukwa is the first book in the Integral Green Society and Economy series, a series which has three overarching aims. The first aim is to link together two major movements of our time, one philosophical, the other practical. The philosophical movement is towards what many today are calling an 'integral' age, while the practical is the 'green' movement, duly aligned with that of sustainable development. The second is to blend together elements of nature and community, culture and spirituality, science and technology, politics and economics, thus serving to bring about an 'integral green' vision, albeit with a focus on business and economics. As such, the authors transcend the limitations to sustainable development and environmental economics, which are overly ecological, if not also technological, in orientation, and exclude social and cultural elements. Thirdly, this particular volume focuses specifically on Zimbabwe, as well as Southern Africa, drawing on the particular issues and capacities that this country and region represents. The emphasis on Zimbabwe and Southern Africa transpired not only because two of the editors (Lessem and Mamukwa) are Zimbabwean in origin, but because Zimbabwe is today like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and has the opportunity to recreate itself anew.

Chapter 10: Emerging: organizational learning and development -- Introduction: grounding individual, enterprise and societal renewal -- MedLabs: an unfolding enterprise story, by Manar Al Nimer -- MedLabs as a developing organization -- Conclusion: pioneering, differentiation and integration -- References -- Chapter 11: Effecting: embodying inter-institutional genealogy -- Introduction: institutionalize development -- Start CSAL with nature and community -- Local-global museum as sanctuary -- Towards a research academy -- Genealogical laboratory -- Conclusion: nature reserve, museum, university, laboratory -- References -- Chapter 12: Navigating: integral society -- Introduction: European Community -- The identity of Slovenia: European sanctuary -- Social science and technology: an emerging research university -- Conclusion: towards an integral economic laboratory -- References -- Epilogue: CARE-ful self-assessment -- ReLational Communal activation GENE -- ReLational Awakening of integral consciousness GENE -- ReLationally innovation driven institutionalized Research GENE -- ReLational Embodiment of integral development GENE -- ReNewing Communal activation GENE -- ReNewed Awakening of integral consciousness GENE -- ReNewed Embodiment of integral development GENE -- ReNewed innovation driven institutionalized Research GENE -- ReaSoned realization of Communal activation GENE -- ReaSoned realization of Awakened integral consciousness GENE -- ReaSoned realization of Innovation driven Research GENE -- ReaSoned Embodiment of integral development GENE -- Index

There are many misconceptions and concerns regarding Islamic societies and how Muslim countries have failed to come up with their own localised solutions to socio-economic problems in dealing with poverty alleviation and societal development. This book explores why there is so much disconnect between spirituality and enterprise development in the world today, and how a part of the Islamic world, in fact located in Pakistan, can be part of the solution rather than being central to the problem. This book builds upon Ronnie Lessem and Alexander Schieffer’s theory of ‘integral dynamics’ which works through a fourfold rhythm of the GENE. Set against a mono-cultural perspective, the authors highlight the ever-increasing and deepening divide between Western and Islamic cultures. Through the course of the book, the authors use the transformational GENE (Grounding, Emergence, Navigation, Effect) rhythm developed by Lessem and Schieffer to take readers through the 4C (Call, Context, Co-creation and Contribution) process, articulated to CAREing-4-Society. They ground their call in Akhuwat’s community of Akhuwateers (donors, beneficiaries, borrowers, volunteers and replicators), to explore alternative models of spiritually based finance through an emerging SOUL-idarity paradigm. Furthermore, through these models and Akhuwat’s CARE (Community, Awareness, Research, Embodiment) process, they put forward that encouraging community activism, raising awareness around Islamic practices of Qard-e-Hasan, institutionalising their innovative research, and finally transforming and educating the community, will provide an alternative to microfinance for poverty alleviation. Showcasing an unconventional spiritual-financial solution, deeply immersed in spirituality and infused with local moral values and traditions, this book demonstrates how poverty can be alleviated in countries around the world, specifically, in developing Muslim countries.

This is the third volume in the CARE-ing for Integral Development series. It continues to build on the previous two works, Community Activation and Awakening Integral Consciousness, as well as preceding the fourth and final book, Embodying Integral Development. This book serves as a follow-up to the author's approach to integral research and development, economics and enterprise, contained within the Innovation and Transformation series, and as a focus for how put all of this "CARE-fully" to work. This third volume, in the CARE quartet is perhaps the most crucial one, building on the organizational systems (see Awakening Integral Consciousness) that came before and turning from trans-cultural and transformational to trans-disciplinary, from integral reality and integral rhythm to integral realms, with a view ultimately to transpersonal, integral rounds. The author turns his attention to research and innovation, and then focuses in on enterprise and economics, management and leadership. As such, he introduces his Inter-Institutional Genealogy in place of an "integral", yet still inhibiting, university. In the process this book paves the way for a new kind of institutionalized, innovation driven social research, which, while rooted in a particular place, speaks to the world as a whole. Moreover, such a research-and-innovation institution has a fundamental role to play in the evolution of a specific community, building on what has come CARE-wise before.