Communities and Social Action

Based on decades of research, this book explores global social change processes through the concepts of social change organisations (SCOs) and social change makers (SCMs) – the individuals working within and alongside SCOs.

This book assesses the impact of a unique youth and community space in East London, created to support local young people in addressing the challenges in their lives. It gives clear and practical evidence of the significant benefits of open access youth work, with guidance on replicating best practice in similar urban environments.

This book, offering in-depth analysis from a native scholar, is a critical examination of the world-renowned community Auroville located in Tamil Nadu, South India as a site of spiritually prefigurative utopian practice.

Since the late 1960s, individuals rebelling against societal norms have embraced intentional communities as a means to manifest their ideals. This book combines archival research and an ethnographic approach to reveal the transformative potential of these communities.

This highly accessible guide equips community work and related professionals and students to make the best use of theory in their work. Linking contemporary theory and practice, the book guides the reader through such diverse areas as young people, adult learning, health, social media and leadership in community work.

This book proposes an approach to changing the educational system in order to redress inequalities in society, whilst at the same time acknowledging the potential transformative role of digital technologies.

Using international perspectives and case studies, this book discusses the relationships between community development and populism in the context of today’s widespread crisis of democracy. Exploring the synergies and contradictions between populism and community development, it offers new ways of understanding and responding to populism.

Using the example of Turkey, where neoliberal economics combined with authoritarian politics formed conditions that have profound social consequences, this book investigates Alternative Consumer Cooperatives (ACCs) as spaces for prefigurative food politics.

Ten percent of the world’s population lives on islands, but until now the place and space characteristics of islands in criminological theory have not been deeply considered. This book addresses issues of how, and by whom, crime is defined in island settings, informed by the distinctive social structures of their communities.

This timely book provides an alternative vision of social mobility and a route-map to achieving it. It examines how the term ‘social mobility’ structures what success means and the impact that has on society. It recasts the relationship with employers and covers progress in non-work areas of life.

This original study makes a compelling case for a more ethical approach to urban development and management. Countering the conventional, neoliberal thinking of urban planners and academics, it uses case studies to show how a philosophy of caring can promote the wellbeing of our cities’ many inhabitants.

This book sheds light on the global legal impact of international social media campaigns on women’s rights.