Progressive Community Organizing. Transformative Practice in a Globalizing World

335 Pages·2021·1.574 MB·English

by  Loretta Pyles

“This edition of Progressive Community Organizing is far-ranging and timely. In a world of unprecedented
and sustained social upheaval, Pyles provides necessary history, theory, practical wisdom, and case
studies. This moment for climate, health, racial, and housing organizing represents the convergence of
many organizing traditions. For a nuanced overview of a range of organizing traditions in the pursuit of
justice, this book is definitive. It takes many hands to bend the moral arc of justice. After reading this
book, you will add yours.”
Alethia Jones, PhD, Director, Open Society Foundations, USA
“… As countries and communities grapple with global pandemics and other public health crises, eco­
nomic loss and rampant inequality, state brutality against people of color and everyday racial micro-
aggressions, there is a critical need for strategic frameworks that offer sound tactics and authentic
processes. The [book offers] a comprehensive and holistic framework that encompasses recruitment,
consensus building, leadership development, issue framing, communication, power analyses, and
more … Pyles deftly addresses the challenges of working cross-culturally and becoming authentic allies,
and demands that each of us immerse ourselves in critically self-reflective work in order to engage in
liberatory praxis. She guides us in what is necessary to transform our communities and in the process,
transform ourselves.”
Cheryl A. Hyde, PhD, MSW, Temple University School of Social Work, USA
“In this latest edition of Progressive Community Organizing, Pyles expands and develops further her
vision and model for a transformative approach to practice that addresses human rights and social
justice. She carefully and clearly integrates a strong theoretical perspective with the tools for social
change and action. This method integrates internal and individual healing and change with methods to
build community and organizational change. It is a call to action for creating a more sustainable, just,
and compassionate world.”
Lorraine M. Gutiérrez, PhD, Associate Dean for Educational Programs,
Professor of Social Work, and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor,
Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan School of Social Work, USA
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Progressive Community Organizing
Now in its third edition, Progressive Community Organizing: Transformative Practice in a Globalizing
World introduces readers to the rich practice of progressive community organizing for social change
while also providing concrete tools geared toward practitioner skill building.
Drawing from social movement scholarship and social theory, this book articulates a transformative
approach to organizing that embraces emergent strategies and healing justice. It emphasizes framing
processes and the power of stories using story-based strategy and digital activism. Embracing inter­
sectional organizing, the book addresses topics such as identity politics, microaggressions, internal­
ized oppression, and horizontal hostility with attention to recentering and allyship as a growth-oriented
journey of solidarity and liberation. Readers will engage with case studies focused on issues such as
poverty, racial justice, immigration, housing, health and mental health, and climate crisis. This new
edition includes:
■ Expanded content on transformative change approaches including healing justice
■ New content on the role of digital technology and social media in organizing
■ Case studies of the Poor People's Campaign and Extinction Rebellion
■ Emphasis on the power of stories and story-based strategy for organizing and issue framing
■ Transformative organizations with attention to feminist and decolonized organizational structures
and cultures
■ Expanded chapters on strategies and tactics focusing on power analysis and a range of tactics from
direct action to resilience-based organizing
The book will be of interest to students and practitioners who want to become more skilled in structural
analysis, praxis, and self-reflexivity through critical and transformative engagement with historical and
current social problems, social movements, and social welfare.
Loretta Pyles, PhD, is Professor at the School of Social Welfare at the University at Albany, State
University of New York, USA. Her work focuses on environmental disasters, community organizing, and
body-mind-spirit social work practice.
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Progressive
Community Organizing
Transformative Practice
in a Globalizing World
THIRD EDITION
Loretta Pyles
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Third edition published 2021
by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2021 Loretta Pyles
The right of Loretta Pyles to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs
and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known
or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
First edition published by Routledge 2009
Second edition published by Routledge 2014
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Pyles, Loretta, author.
Title: Progressive community organizing: transformative practice in a globalizing
world/Loretta Pyles.
Description: Third edition. | New York, NY: Routledge, 2021. | Includes
bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2020037301 (print) | LCCN 2020037302 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367265946 (paperback) | ISBN 9780367265939 (hardback) |
ISBN 9780429294075 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Community organization. | Social action.
Classification: LCC HM766 .P95 2021 (print) | LCC HM766 (ebook) |
DDC 361.8–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037301
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020037302
ISBN: 978-0-367-26593-9 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-26594-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-429-29407-5 (ebk)
Typeset in Perpetua and Bell Gothic
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
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Dedicated to Breonna Taylor
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Contents
Acknowledgments xiii

Part I Foundations of Community Organizing 1

Introduction 3
Introduction 3

Neoliberalism, Oppression, Intersectionality, and Resistance 5

Another World is Possible: Vision, Human Rights, and Capabilities 7

A Transformative Approach to Organizing 10

Going Forward—Overview of the Book 11

Conclusion 12

References 13

1 The Bedrock of Community Organizing 17
Defining Community Organizing 21

Questions for Reflection 28

Suggestions for Further Inquiry 29

References 29

2 Transformative Practice 33
Meaning and Organizing 33

Transformative Organizing 36

Perils of Organizing 40

Healing Power in Organizing: An Organizer's Path to Meaning and Success 46

Questions for Reflection 52

Suggestions for Further Inquiry 52

References 53

3 Theories and Praxis 57
Marxism and the Marxist Tradition 58

Feminist Perspectives 62

ix
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