The Cambridge Handbook of Community Empowerment

Experts detail different approaches to building community power to establish just and equitable systems, both socially and politically.

Brian D. Christens (Edited by)

9781009153737, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 April 2024

686 pages
25 x 17.5 x 4 cm, 1.324 kg

'This is a tour de force for community development and scholars interested in networks for social impact. The volume builds on the insights of Christens' ecological model of community power and empowerment. The chapters demonstrate the model's breadth of application from organizing and community action to enterprise models of empowerment.' Michelle Shumate, School of Communication, Northwestern University

Power and empowerment are critical topics for social change. This handbook maps out ways that people can collectively engage with, influence, and change systems that affect their lives, particularly the systems that maintain inequality and oppression. It includes in-depth examinations of a variety of approaches to building and exercising community power in local organizations, institutions, and settings. Each chapter examines a particular approach, critically engaging with contemporary research on how and when collective action can be most effective at producing change within communities and societal systems. By examining a range of approaches in diverse contexts, this book provides new insights for scholars, practitioners, and engaged resident-leaders aiming to be more precise, strategic, and innovative in their efforts to build and sustain community power. It is the ideal resource for those working with community groups to build more just and equitable systems.

Building community power: an introduction Brian D. Christens
Part I. Organizing and Activism: 1. Youth organizing Jerusha Conner
2. Youth activism in post-apartheid South Africa Tafadzwa Tivaringe and Ben Kirshner
3. Domestic violence and community organizing in India Suvarna V. Menon and Nicole E. Allen
4. Congregation-based community organizing Paul W. Speer
5. Immigrant organizing and activism Kevin Escudero
6. Online racial justice advocacy Melanie Brazzell
Part II. Participatory Governance: 7. Citizens' governance spaces Albert W. Dzur and Carolyn M. Hendriks
8. Participatory budgeting Loren Peabody
9. Participatory urban planning Daniel G. Cooper
10. Youth policy advocacy in municipal governance Astraea Augsberger and Mary Elizabeth Collins
Part III. Civil Society and Coalitions: 11. Community leadership development Wilson Majee, Sarah Hultine Massengale, Claire Rippel and Johanna Reed Adams
12. Community coalitions and empowerment Michelle Kegler and Lauren M. Bigger
13. Youth infused community coalitions Jessica J. Collura, Holly Raffle, Meagan R. Joseph and Mollie F. Stevens
14. Neighborhood associations and community change Kayla M. Anderson and Brian D. Christens
15. State-led community (dis)empowerment in China Ming Hu, Xiaoyun Wang and Yulong Lian
Part IV. Enterprise: 16. A new generation of worker cooperatives Joan Meyers, Sanjay Pinto, Laura Hanson Schlachter and Olga Prushinskaya
17. Employment social enterprises Kymberly L. Byrd and Rasheda Weaver
Part V. Participatory and Community Arts: 18. Participatory arts for vulnerable populations Emily A. Hennessy, Anise Gold-Watts, Agata Z. Pietrzak, Sam Lapoint and Ana Bess Moyer Bell
19. Community arts, decoloniality, and epistemic justice Christopher C. Sonn, Rama P. Agung-Igusti, Roshani Janya Jayawardana, Amy F. Quayle and Samuel P. Keast
Part VI. Education and Engaged Research: 20. Action civics Kathryn Y. Morgan and Parissa Jahromi Ballard
21. Gender-sexuality alliances V. Paul Poteat, Robert Marx, Michael O'Brien and Megan K. Yang
22. Youth participatory action research in school settings Kimalee Dickerson, Mariah Kornbluh and Adrienne M. Duke
23. Community-based education Moisés G. Contreras, Virginia Downing, Carl D. Greer and Bianca J. Baldridge
24. Community-engaged research Krista A. Haapanen, Nina Wallerstein and Shannon T. Sanchez-Youngman
Concluding thoughts on building community power Brian D. Christens.

Subject Areas: Social, group or collective psychology [JMH]