New Book: Collective Action for Social Change

Posted by on April 24, 2011

[posted from Comm-Org]

From: Aaron Schutz <schutz@uwm.edu>

COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: AN INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZING
Aaron Schutz and Marie G. Sandy (Palgrave, Macmillan, 2011)
see at: http://www.educationaction.org

Chapters include a history of collective action in America, a series of case studies, and chapters on key concepts. Quotes and examples come from a wide array of often unpublished material by important organizers like Tom Gaudette, Delores Huerta, Richard Harmon, Heather Booth, and Nicholas von Hoffman.

“[This book] challenges students to look beyond the ‘how to’ of organizing to the far more difficult task of ‘how to think’ about organizing. Without such intellectual work, it is difficult to understand community organizing as anything more than a series of techniques equally usable by The Tea Party, President Obama, Tupperware, or anyone else who wants to effectively gain ‘market share.’” –Mike Miller, veteran community organizer and author of A Community Organizer’s Tale:People and Power in San Francisco

“In accessible language and with compelling examples, Schutz and Sandy explain the why of organizing…. A must-read for anyone interested in building an inclusive, compassionate, and equitable society.” –Rinku Sen, President and Executive Director of the Applied Research Center (ARC) and publisher of ColorLines magazine

You can find the first chapter at http://www.educationaction.org

Some people may also be interested in my earlier book: SOCIAL CLASS, SOCIAL ACTION, AND EDUCATION: The Failure of Progressive Democracy, which compares Alinsky’s vision with that of prominent progressives.

Aaron Schutz
Associate Professor & Chair
Dept. of Ed. Policy & Comm. Studies
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Enderis 553
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201
Office: (414) 229-4150
Fax: (414) 229-3700
Website: http://www.educationaction.org