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 Community
Practices in Australia has been written at a time of great dynamism,
nationally and globally. The welfare state architecture that provided
a basis for community practice throughout the second half of the
twentieth century is being transformed. Reflecting the changing
relationships between states and communities, academics have been
either largely silent about community life or have dismissed the
relevance of the concept of community. In one review of the literature
on community, Young (2001) suggested that:
Sociologists have been exposed to so many versions of the decline
of community that it is a wonder that anyone believes there are
any communities left. Communities lost their Gemeinschaft in the
nineteenth century and continued to lose their virtue throughout
the twentieth.
This book takes off from this point and examines the reclaiming
of virtue in community discourse since the mid 1990s.
Community Practices in Australia presents 15 contemporary examples
of community practices defined as the conscious application of
principles, strategies and skills to build and maintain a sense
of community, both as an end in itself and as a vehicle to achieve
social, economic, political and cultural change.
An original framework is advanced for understanding the range
of community practices in Australia, encompassing building transnational
solidarity, developing partnerships with government, engaging
in neighbourhood and local development, community organising,
campaigning against the state and creating and resourcing sustainable
communities and networks.
As a result of the strategically organised cases, the editors
address some key debates including:
· The effects of globalisation on Australian community
practice
· The extent to which government activities have the potential
to influence the structure, function and identity of communities
· How community groups challenge and can influence government
activities
· What is meant by the discourse of partnerships between
government and communities
· How local and global spheres of activity are enlivened
by community practice
· The ways in which identity politics are being reflected
in today's community practice
· The ideologies and principles that underpin community
activity
· The ingredients of successful community practice..
The cases cover a broad sweep of activity, including: the uses
and limitations of the Internet as a mechanism for connection
and action, place management in local government, working with
asylum seekers, global action to prevent child sex exploitation,
paid maternity leave campaigning, abortion law reform and partnerships
to achieve social and economic development. On the basis of the
case studies, the editors present in two chapters essential building
blocks - both conceptual and practical - for community practitioners.
As community practice educators the editors firmly believe that
practice-reflection is an essential ingredient in the training
of community practitioners as well as the best basis for building
new practice theory. This book showcases the sophistication that
is involved in thinking about and doing community focussed work.
The capacity to reflect on personal practice is a key to improving
skills and knowledge and for enhancing accountability to those
being "practised upon". Thus, the case studies will
not only find their place in university course materials but in
professional development settings.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List of Tables and Charts
Notes on Contributors
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SECTION I. COMMUNITY PRACTICES:CONTEXT AND FRAMEWORKS
Chapter 1: Sharing theory and practice
Jane Dixon, Lesley Hoatson, Wendy Weeks
Chapter 2: Globalisation and community practice
Wendy Weeks
Chapter 3: Community practice within the context
of civil society-state relations
Jane Dixon
Chapter 4: The scope of Australian community practice
Lesley Hoatson
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SECTION II. BUILDING TRANSNATIONAL SOLIDARITY
Introduction
Chapter 5: Global actions to prevent child sexual
exploitation: The ECPAT Experience
Bernadette Mc Menamin
Chapter 6: Realising dreams: Community Development
in Zambia
Marjorie Quinn
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SECTION III: COMMUNITIES DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH
GOVERNMENTS
Introduction
Chapter 7: Creating Community Pride: The Bridgewater-Gagebrook
Urban Renewal Program
Karen Gardner and Cris Fitzpatrick
Chapter 8: Partnerships and mutuality in rural community
development in Western Australia
Phil Connors
Chapter 9: Communities for Everyone: Redesigning
Contested Public Places
Mandy Press
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SECTION IV: ENGAGING IN NEIGHBOURHOOD AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT
Introduction
Chapter 10: A resident-led recovery: the re-enfranchising
of a community in Victoria.
Gill Heal
Chapter 11: Housing renewal in the Parks Community
in South Australia
Frank Tesoriero
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SECTION V: COMMUNITY ORGANISING
Introduction
Chapter 12: Australians for Reconciliation: Port
Hedland, Western Australia
Bev Fabb in collaboration with Rose Murray, Sharon Todd
and Michelle Mackenzie.
Chapter 13: Women's organising and paid maternity
leave
Wendy Weeks
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SECTION VI: CAMPAIGNING AGAINST THE STATE
Introduction
Chapter 14: How the West was Won: Abortion Law Reform
in Western Australia Judith Straton and Billie Giles-Corti
Chapter 15: The Fairwear Campaign
Annie Carroll in collaboration with Annie Delaney and
Karrina Nolan
Chapter 16: Campaigning against the detention centres
and treatment of refugees.
Lucy Fiske
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SECTION VII: CREATING & RESOURCING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
AND NETWORKS
Introduction
Chapter 17: infoXchange: technology for social
justice
Andrew Mahar
Chapter 18: Borderlands: developing a co-operative
Jacques Boulet
Chapter 19: Community Capacity Checklists: use cautiously
amid complexity.
Cathy Banwell and Andrea Whittaker.
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SECTION VIII: REFLECTING ON COMMUNITY PRACTICES IN AUSTRALIA
Chapter 20: Lessons from community practices in
Australia
Jane Dixon, Lesley Hoatson and Wendy Weeks
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