Activism and Social Change: Lessons for Community and Local Organizing - Softcover

Shragge, Eric

3.61

18 ratings by Goodreads

9781551115627: Activism and Social Change: Lessons for Community and Local Organizing

Softcover

ISBN 10: 155111562X ISBN 13: 9781551115627

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Higher Education Division, 2003

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Drawing on over 30 years of experience in community development practice, Shragge offers students and professionals an historical look at community organizing and local activism from its development in 1960 to the contemporary practices of today's young activists, adding his personal reflections along the way. In the process, he makes links between a variety of forms of local organizing and the broader goal of fundamental social change.

The book begins with the author's reflection on several of his experiences in community organizing practice over the past 30 years as an introduction to his basic themes. The second chapter explores various theoretical models as well as historical traditions of community organizing with practice examples drawn from Quebec. The third chapter presents a survey of contributions to social action organizing from Saul Alinsky to the New Left, feminist, and other social movements, highlighting lines of continuity among and between them. The fourth chapter examines contemporary trends in, and problems associated with, community development practice, including a critical discussion of the community economic development model. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the fifth chapter analyses the future of local activism by integrating the voices and visions of young activists with theory and practice. The final chapter offers a way to understand the history, theory, and practice of local activism and community organizing within the context of the broader fight for social change.

All royalties from this book will be contributed to the Immigrant Workers Centre, Montreal.

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About the Author:

Eric Shragge retired as the Principal of the School of Community and Public Affairs at Concordia University in 2012. He is currently a volunteer staff member at the Immigrant Workers Centre in Montreal. His publications include: Contesting Community: The Limits and Potential of Community Organizing with James DeFilippis and Robert Fisher (2010) and Fight Back: Workplace Justice for Immigrants with Aziz Choudry, Jill Hanley, Steve Jordan, and Martha Stiegman (2009).

Review:

Chock full of insights and lessons from more than 30 years of radical activism and scholarship, this book connects the personal and the political to produce a sophisticated understanding of the potential of, as well as barriers to, local activism and community organizing--past, present, and future... What a delight that Eric Shragge has taken the time to sum up his activist and intellectual engagement thus far, and combine it with a dialogue with those currently engaged in cutting-edge work, all to help provide direction for contemporary organizers and activists. A major contribution to the field.

(Robert Fisher, University of Connecticut)

Eric Shragge's book is precisely what we wanted for our course on strategies in community building. The author gives students of disability studies access to traditions of a community practice that is situated as a political opportunity. He does so from deep experience and completely without pretension.

(Melanie Panitch, Director, School of Disability Studies, Ryerson University)

The writing in this book is personal, bringing Shragge's years of experience forward for new activists and organizers to learn from. His self-reflective, story-telling approach makes the book a welcoming and accessible read. I thank the author for sharing his experiences and teachings with me.

(Leslie Brown, University of Victoria Canadian Social Work Review)

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