Community Analysis and Practice: Toward a Grounded Civil Society

by Josefina Figueira-McDonough

Overview

Concentrating on three main themes - environmental complexity, community as the target of intervention, and commitment to social justice - Community Theory and Practice updates and expands the current boundaries of thinking about community organization. This book is an important resource for social work students, educators, and practitioners, as well as those who work in the areas of sociology, urban studies, community organization and development, and criminology, and other areas of social study and policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134942138
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/13/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	236
File size:	507 KB

About the Author

Josefina Figueira-McDonough

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments. Introduction. Community Construction and Social Change: In Search of a Working Definition. Dimensions of Communalism: A Structural Framework. Heuristic Applications of the Population-Organization Framework. Focusing on Community as the Unit of Analysis: Varieties of Research. The Growing Impact of Environment: Community as Dependent Variable. Knowledge from Praxis. Professional Models of Community Organization. In Search of the New Civil Society. References

Editorial Reviews

Raised in what she felt as an organic society in Portugal Figueira-McDonouch (justice studies and social work, Arizona State U.) has taught community organization since coming to the US. Rather than put yet another textbook on shelf, she here highlights some ideas the texts do not address, hoping thereby to expand and update the boundaries of thinking about community organization. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"Community Analysis and Practice contains an excellent review and creative synthesis of more than a century of community theory, public policy, and community initiatives in the United States. I know of no other work that brings together so much theoretical and empirical work, drawn from both research and practice, that is related to communities. Figueria-McDonough outlines a logically derived framework...with the goal of enhancing social justice through the promotion of viable communities." — William Barton, Ph.D., School of Social Work, Indiana University
"In its common usage, the concept of 'community' is surrounded by a warm fuzziness referring to favorable or appealing relationships. Josefina Figueira-McDonough's book represents a step towards moving the concept from this empty location to a clear, and theoretically useful position. For its attempts at establishing solid grounds for community work this book is a timely addition to the literature...In addition, the focus of this book is also timely due to the increased consolidation and expansion of clinical individual work which incorporates recent theoretical critiques, leaving community work begging for an approach capable of reinvigorating and infusing a practice that has, in many cases, dwindled into community management with contemporary progressive social tranformation ideas and developments." — Journal of Progressive Human Services

From the Publisher