Description
Book SynopsisCommunity Projects as Social Activism: From Direct Action to Direct Services by Benjamin Shepard is an engaging and accessible work that will get today's students excited about the very real prospect of achieving lasting, positive change within their communities. It outlines a distinct approach to community practice born out of the intersection among social movements, day-to-day organizing, and the lessons of five decades of community change practices. This invaluable resource is a must-have for anyone involved in community organization, community health, and community activism practice research and policy.
Table of ContentsForeword, by Steve Burghardt Acknowledgments About the Author Part I: Theory, Contexts and Understandings Chapter 1: On Community Practice A Framework for Action Community Practice: Theory and the “Real” World Chapter 2: Activism in a Changing World—Looking Back to Move Forward The Assault on the Poor Organizing for Social Justice Getting Started--Playfully Chapter 3: Learning from Community Projects Approaches to Community Engagement Community Projects and Service Learning Part One – In Conclusion Part II: Practice and Power Chapter 4: Introduction to Part II on Social Action and Power Case Study: “Set Jean Free!” The Changing Face of Social Movements & Social Work Taking Power and Addressing Needs Chapter 5: Identifying Issues The “Winnable Win” Case Study: Jim Eigo and the ACT UP Treatment and Data Committee Chapter 6: Research as Action Participant Action Research Community Analysis Framework Social Settlements and Community Projects Case Study: David Crane and the “We Can’t Breathe” Campaign The Advocate as Researcher Chapter 7: Mobilization and Spreading the Message Text Messaging, Media Activism, and Social Justice Organizing and Narrative Case Study: Jay Blotcher and the Stop the Church Protest Media Activism On Media and Language Video Activism Occupy Wall Street and the Media Chapter 8: Direct Action and "Getting the Goods" A Short History of Civil Disobedience Some Practical and Ethical Guidelines for Direct Action Direct Action: Theory and Practice Case Study: Eustacia Smith—Social Ministry to Direct Action Action, Reaction, and Narratives of Disobedience Direct Action and Storytelling Chapter 9: Legal Strategies Know Your Rights Case Study: Greg Berman and the Red Hook Community Justice Center An Afterword Chapter 10: From Joy to Justice: Mixing Fun and Community Building Defiant Laughter and the Power of Play Case Study: Mark Andersen and the Transformative Power of Punk Cultural Animation Play as a Low Threshold Entry into Politics Part Two—In Conclusion Part III: Praxis: From Direct Action to Direct Services Chapter 11: Social Movement to Social Services: From the Black Panthers to the Young Lords Black Panther Community Survival Programs Do-It-Yourself Direct Action with the Young Lords Common Causes Chapter 12: From Critique to Coexistence with Capital: The Woodlawn Organization and the Dilemmas of Community Development Improve, Don’t Move Chapter 13: ACT UP to the World: Direct Action to Direct Services Social Services and Global Social Movements in AIDS Activism Chapter 14: Affinity Group to Movement Organization: Housing Works Housing and the AIDS Pandemic Chapter 15: Harm Reduction and Human Services: Experiments in Syringe Exchange From the War on Drugs to Harm Reduction Experiments in Syringe Exchange Chapter 16: The Perils of the Non-Profit Industrial Complex The “Iron Cage” A Virus in the System Beyond Psychic Prisons Chapter 17: DIY Politics and World-Making: Mutual Aid, Anarchism, and Alternative Solutions Do It Yourself to Create Counterpower Anarchism, Mutual Aid, and Communities of Support A Politics of Freedom A Short History of Anarchism Anarchist Social Services Chapter 18: Multi-Issue Organizing From the Women’s Movement to Struggles for Global Justice Women, Social Work, and Social Movements Ella Baker and the Civil Rights Movement Gay Liberation and LGBT Organizing The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power Prefigurative Politics within the Global Justice Movement Creating a New Multi-Issue Politics Chapter 19: Community Building against Inequality: Zapatistas, Occupations and Transnational Advocacy The Occupy Movement Common Preservation The OWS Sustainability Committee Rejecting Scarcity in Favor of Economic Democracy Zapatismo from Oaxaca to the Bronx Postscript: Concluding Notes on Friendships, Social Networks and Social Change References Index
