Abstract
Reviewed by: Nicholas Wise, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Politics, power and community development edited by Rosie R Meade, Mae Shaw and Sarah Banks presents a number of cases and new critical directions. The edited collection comprises 13 chapters, including the introduction, which is organised into three parts: (1) thinking politically; (2) practising politics and (3) politicising the future. The introduction (Chapter 1) sets the political tone, encouraging readers to rethink community development. In the book’s introduction, the editors frame critical shifts in perspective and understanding of community development. They refer to community development as a process, and this focus is clear from the onset, continuing as a golden thread through the chapters. The focus of this book is the practice of community development, and while new conceptual standpoints are brought forward, this book is concerned with informing future practitioners, planners and policy makers to acknowledge the wider impacts of neoliberalism, austerity and top-down policies (which adhere to the focus on power) and address issues that impede on and impact a community directly.
Part 1 (thinking politically) focuses on political practice and social change. Chapter 2 argues that place and time are at the centre of understanding, but argue translation, articulation and work as a guiding conceptual framework for identifying and managing community development and change—often dependent on community cohesion. The challenge drawn is that policy and implementation are not always a straightforward (or connected) process, addressed in Part 2 as well. Chapter 3 positions new challenges faced in the 21st century. As researchers exploring critical issues of community development, we need to reconsider how people engage because communities are no longer homogenous, but heterogeneous. As such, researchers are considering issues and challenges facing communities in a highly mobile, technological, and globalised society. The emphasis is on diversity, continually shaped by migrations and social media exchanges, which shape and alter outlook and perception. Chapter 4 focuses on the case of India where developments are highly contested and the notion of citizenship and identity are not necessarily shared, but often only perceived, and embedded in discourse but carefully carried out without equal representation—with findings I feel contradicted some of the points from preceding chapters.
Part 2 (practising politics) includes six chapters each presenting a different case, addressing differing contexts of community participation and development. Chapter 5 is concerned with community participation and place-making in Hualien, Taiwan. The creative industry focus brought the community together to emphasis their shared identity based on history and heritage. Chapter 8 relates to Chapter 5, but focuses on diversity place and community practice. The emphasis on place in a number of these chapters suggests spatial contestation as well, and transformations are clearly impacting how communities mobilise—such geographical emphasis is also outlined in a recent collection that I co-edited (see Wise and Clark, 2017). Engagement is crucial and again similar to discussions in Chapter 5, Chapter 7 addresses spatial divide and repression. Political leadership, as discussed in other chapters in this section, presents local attempts to overcome divisions, addressed in Chapter 7 through Women’s political leadership. Local response movements are continued in Chapter 10 addressing how communities respond and react to oil expansions in Amazonia (concerning communities in both Peru and Ecuador). In this case, neoliberalism increases tensions between indigenous communities and corporate entities that solely seek valuable resources. The cases in this section challenge readers to consider different theoretical contexts and approaches to community, practice, participation and engagement. The final chapter of the section offers reflection on institutions that challenge community development from the bottom-up.
Part 3 (politicising the future) picks up on the positions outlined in the final chapter of Part 2 and Chapter 3 in Part 1. Concerning inclusive policies, Chapter 11 discusses disability movements and Chapter 12 community action protests. The final chapter in the book (Chapter 13) seeks alternative solutions. The focus on community-based economies is revised here and much reminds the readers of decades past before the rise of corporations and the full influence of political and economic globalisation. Concerns speak back to Chapter 3, which I found to be the most influential and theoretical chapter in this collection, because as readers and academics, we are challenged to assess how communities are impacted locally, but wider global forces are challenging local movements and initiatives—as addressed in the range of cases in this book. Like this book, the authors who have contributed to the special issue (that this book review concludes) relate to a number of conceptual challenges and pressing local issues that are influenced and impacted by wider global forces.
To conclude, this edited book introduces a number of new perspectives for scholars focusing on critical community studies and community development studies to consider. I would encourage academics teaching community-focused classes in a number of disciplines (especially economics, political science, geography, regional studies and sociology) to add this book to their reading lists.