Theory Practice And Community Development

For many scholars, the study of community and community development is at a crossroads. Previously dynamic theories appear not to have kept pace with the major social changes of our day. Given our constantly shifting social reality we need new ideas and research that pushes the boundaries of our extant community theories. Theory, Practice, and Community Development stretches the traditional boundaries and applications of well-established community development theory, and establishes new theoretical approaches rooted in new disciplines and new perspectives on community development. Expanded from a special issue of the journal Community Development, Theory, Practice, and Community Development collects previously published and widely cited essays, as well as new theoretical and empirical research in community development. Compiled by the editors of Community Development, the essays feature topics as varied as placemaking, democratic theory and rural organizing. Theory, Practice, and Community Development is vital for scholars and practitioners coming to grips with the rapidly changing definition of community.

Introduction to Community Development provides students of community and economic development with a theoretical and practical introduction to the field of community development. Bringing together leading scholars in the field of community development, the book follows the curriculum needs in offering a progression from theory to practice, beginning with a theoretical overview, an historical overview, and the various approaches to community development.

Since its establishment in 1966, the Community Development Journal has maintained its position as the leading international journal for practitioners, academics and policy-makers across the world. To celebrate its fortieth anniversary, the CDJ's Editorial Board commissioned three highly experienced members, two of them former editors, to bring together a representative sample of the best writing from the Journal. The thirty chapters in this volume, including an entirely new introductory contextual essay, are drawn from every corner of the world, demonstrating the richness and diversity of community development theory and practice. Despite this diversity, the changing foci of community development and the varying contexts in which it is practised, the chapters all reflect the commitment of community development theorists and practitioners to engage critically with the key values of social justice -- equality, fairness, participatory development and respect for difference. This book will become a key text for those concerned with implementing these values in practice.

This book proposes that community development has been increasingly influenced and co-opted by a modernist, soulless, rational philosophy - reducing it to a shallow technique for ‘solving community problems’. In contrast, this dialogical approach re-maps the ground of community development practice within a frame of ideas such as dialogue, hospitality and depth. For the first time community development practitioners are provided with an accessible understanding of dialogue and its relevance to their practice, exploring the contributions of internationally significant thinkers such as P. Freire, M. Buber, D. Bohm and H.G Gadamer, J. Derrida, G. Esteva and R. Sennett. What makes the book distinctive is that: first, it identifies a dialogical tradition of community development and considers how such a tradition shapes practice within contemporary contexts and concerns – economic, social, political, cultural and ecological. Second, the book contrasts such an approach with technical and instrumental approaches to development that fail to take complex systems seriously. Third, the approach links theory to practice through a combination of storytelling and theory-reflection – ensuring that readers are drawn into a practice-theory that they feel increasingly confident has been 'tried and tested' in the world over the past 25 years.

In a world in which social divisions are widening not lessening, it is essential for community development, or any other practice committed to social justice and sustainability, to understand how power works at every level, from grassroots projects to movements for change. This exciting and practical book is filled to the brim with useful ideas for busy practitioners. Building on the work of Paulo Freire, theories are presented in interesting and straightforward ways to provide an everyday reference for practice. Contained in these pages is all you need to give your practice a critical edge!

For many scholars, the study of community and community development is at a crossroads. Previously dynamic theories appear not to have kept pace with the major social changes of our day. Given our constantly shifting social reality we need new ideas and research that pushes the boundaries of our extant community theories. Theory, Practice, and Community Development stretches the traditional boundaries and applications of well-established community development theory, and establishes new theoretical approaches rooted in new disciplines and new perspectives on community development. Expanded from a special issue of the journal Community Development, Theory, Practice, and Community Development collects previously published and widely cited essays, as well as new theoretical and empirical research in community development. Compiled by the editors of Community Development, the essays feature topics as varied as placemaking, democratic theory and rural organizing. Theory, Practice, and Community Development is vital for scholars and practitioners coming to grips with the rapidly changing definition of community.

This book revisits community development especially questioning the meaning of the term community in the changing global and international context. The nature and dynamics of what constitutes community are changing to suit the needs of people living in a technologically advanced nature of life. Communities that were based on face-to-face interactions, sense of belonging and ‘we’ feelings are being replaced or overtaken by virtual communities. What is seen is that face-to-face human interaction is being minimized by technologically advanced ways of communicating, such as Facebook, Twitter, Skype and various other such mechanisms that have traversed physical boundaries and made human interaction possible. This new development has also been instrumental in generating new ideologies, new ways of working with people and addressing human causes. The book delivers practical advice and shares strategies that are based on the real-life experience of working with communities across the nations. It gives breadth and depth of knowledge on community development theory, practice principles, values and illustrates implications for practice based on research and practice experiences that has wider applicability. All the chapters discuss the community development approach/method as a strategy to bring about change in the society. Following a preliminary discussion by Kalpana Goel of the meanings of community and community development, all the chapters discuss the community development approach/method as a strategy to bring about change in the society.

In a world in which social divisions are widening not lessening, it is essential for community development, or any other practice committed to social justice and sustainability, to understand how power works at every level, from grassroots projects to movements for change. This exciting and practical book is filled to the brim with useful ideas for busy practitioners. Building on the work of Paulo Freire, theories are presented in interesting and straightforward ways to provide an everyday reference for practice. Contained in these pages is all you need to give your practice a critical edge!