Description
Book SynopsisWith the ever-expanding boom of grassroots organizations and their growing importance for public policy, many organizations have been forced to rethink the effects of social, economic, and political disparities in society. This collection of essential essays and case studies will help activists, researchers, and students engage in this process of reevaluation and strategizing. Grassroots Social Action explores power negotiations and examines effective and ineffective community actions from the bottom up. Willie and his colleagues focus on the influence of common people in relation to hierarchical forms of social order. Paying special attention to nine case studies, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the chapters show the complementary relationship between dominant and subdominant people in public policymaking. Grassroots Social Action offers a critical and empowering assessment of how change occurs in communities.
Trade ReviewIn this captivating set of studies, Willie, Willard, and Ridini, present a full-blown picture of effective and ineffective grassroots social actions with real-life case studies. Grassroots Social Action characterizes these movements as being in solidarity with organizations and causes outside of their specific communities. We learn what's happening at the core of grassroots movements, and the importance of legitimization and implementation as concepts for measuring outcomes. -- James A. Hefner, president professor emeritus, holder of the Thomas and Patricia Frist Chair of Entrepreneurship, Tennessee State University, Nas
This politically rich and educationally sound collection illuminates how social conditions and practices affect grassroots movements. With valuable insights from case studies, including the authors' thoughtful reflections, Grassroots Social Action makes a well-defined contribution to the scholarship the discipline. -- Caroline Hodges Persell, professor of Sociology, New York University, and author of Understanding Society: An Introduction to Sociology, Second Edition
Willie's introduction and commentary on the essays is valuable to understanding how the case studies fit his conceptual framework of grassroots movements. * CHOICE *
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Theoretical and Conceptual Issues in Effective Community Action Part 1 Part I: Concepts, Theories and Illustrations Part 2 Part II: Education Case Studies of Grassroots Social Action Chapter 2: A Perfect Grassroots Movement: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Chapter 3: The Alpha Case Study on Human Sexuality and Health Education Part 3 Part III: Political Case Studies of Grassroots Social Action Part 4 Part IV: Conclusions and Implications Chapter 4: A Grassroots Tale of Fighting High Stakes Testing in New York Part 5 Part V: About the Authors Chapter 5: Creation of the Africana Studies Center at Cornell University Chapter 6: Community Action in Lemon Grove For and Against Integrated Education Chapter 7: A Comparative Analysis of Grassroots Studies in Education Chapter 8: Freedom Rides in Southern States Chapter 9: The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Chapter 10: Toxic Waste and Environmental Justice in Warren County, North Carolina Chapter 11: The Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama Chapter 12: A Comparative Analysis of Grassroots Studies in Politics Chapter 13: Conclusions
