Stuck in the middle? Community development, community engagement and the dangerous business of learning for democracy

Shaw, Mae

doi:10.1093/cdj/bsr009

Cited by 18 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…To Shaw (2011), this role generates ‘the conditions in which people might begin to make the necessary connections between their personal experience and the wider context’ (p. 16), something that is in stark contrast to the aforementioned critique on the complex codes that practitioners are perceived to enshrine in art and cultural work. Considering that practitioners may even have their names and involvement played down under given circumstances (Harding, 1998: 12), or are compelled to ‘hide’ or to practise self-censorship (Lowe, 2014: 21–22), Schwarz (2013) adds a vital dimension of co-authorship to the crucial, facilitative role that practitioners play which [i]nvolves an artist working with participants to undertake a shared creative journey, for which the artist provides initial inspiration, and acts as a facilitator to enable participants to explore their own creative ideas and life experiences.…”

Section: Discussion and Analysis: Practitioners Have Their Saymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Sell[ing] what hasn’t got a name’: An exploration of the different understandings and definitions of ‘community engagement’ work in the performing arts

Mutibwa

2017

European Journal of Cultural Studies

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A note on versions:The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. AbstractWidely known to promote broader involvement in the processes which define the arts and culture (Webster, 1997), community engagement work in the performing arts -despite employing a set of commonly recognised norms -has tended to be conceptualised differently both historically and contemporarily. Drawing on ethnographic research -particularly semistructured qualitative interview accounts of numerous British practitioners with a track record of work in the sector, the article explores these different conceptualisations. The article finds that it is the actual 'work that matters' and not what it is named, and that the diversity of understandings and definitions among sectoral practitioners is reflective of evolving thinking, values and practice, something that may be destabilising for better or worse.

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Section: Discussion and Analysis: Practitioners Have Their Saymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Sell[ing] what hasn’t got a name’: An exploration of the different understandings and definitions of ‘community engagement’ work in the performing arts

Mutibwa

2017

European Journal of Cultural Studies

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“…This fascinating statement encapsulates, to some degree, the spirit of a compromised participation process: it was not necessarily meant to accomplish the outcomes discussed. It stands in the service of opaque goals, a performance that likely confuses even some of those recommending or producing it [ 30 , 38 ]. As a result, our hope with this work is to make some contribution to the legibility of ad hoc, urban participation processes in neoliberal contexts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bringing stakeholders together for urban health equity: hallmarks of a compromised process

Katz

Cheff

O’Campo

2015

Int J Equity Health

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There is a global trend towards the use of ad hoc participation processes that seek to engage grassroots stakeholders in decisions related to municipal infrastructure, land use and services. We present the results of a scholarly literature review examining 14 articles detailing specific cases of these processes to contribute to the discussion regarding their utility in advancing health equity. We explore hallmarks of compromised processes, potential harms to grassroots stakeholders, and potential mitigating factors. We conclude that participation processes often cut off participation following the planning phase at the point of implementation, limiting convener accountability to grassroots stakeholders, and, further, that where participation processes yield gains, these are often due to independent grassroots action. Given the emphasis on participation in health equity discourse, this study seeks to provide a real world exploration of the pitfalls and potential harms of participation processes that is relevant to health equity theory and practice.

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“…Third, community development seeks to connect people’s problems with economic, political and social structures. It is interested not only in what people and communities can change by themselves but also in achieving the necessary structural changes (Emejulu, 2015; Ledwith, 2011; Shaw, 2011). Conflict resolution, by contrast, is mostly focussed on individual disputants.…”

Section: Potential Implications For Community Development Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Conflict resolution in community development: Are the benefits worth the costs?

Palma

2018

Critical Social Policy

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In the UK, conflict resolution strategies have become increasingly popular within community development practice. Conflict resolution has been used to prevent homelessness, tackle neighbourhood disputes, address family conflict, facilitate community involvement, address discrimination and reduce anti-social behaviour. The promise of conflict resolution is that confidential and informal processes of ‘justice from below’ might better reconcile community interests, improve relationships and promote social change. Within the field of community development, these promises have been widely vaunted. However, outside community development, conflict resolution has been subject to extensive criticism. This article draws upon debates in legal scholarship to discuss four criticisms in particular: that conflict resolution disadvantages vulnerable groups, undermines social justice, suppresses legitimate grievances and mistreats public issues as private problems. It then considers these criticisms in relation to community development practice and explores potential solutions.

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Stuck in the middle? Community development, community engagement and the dangerous business of learning for democracy

Cited by 18 publications

References 16 publications

‘Sell[ing] what hasn’t got a name’: An exploration of the different understandings and definitions of ‘community engagement’ work in the performing arts

‘Sell[ing] what hasn’t got a name’: An exploration of the different understandings and definitions of ‘community engagement’ work in the performing arts

Bringing stakeholders together for urban health equity: hallmarks of a compromised process

Conflict resolution in community development: Are the benefits worth the costs?

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