Research on Lived Experience of Art as Activism [Archive]

Mark Riva

09-04-2003, 03:27 PM

Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development by Don Adams and Arlene Goldbard - Rockefeller Foundation. This report traces the history, theoretical underpinnings, values, and methods of community cultural development practice, emphasizing its effectiveness as a response to the social and economic forces that weaken cultural ties, and offer is recommendations to strengthen and support the field. The Creativity & Culture theme at The Rockefeller Foundation has endeavored to maintain and build on the Foundation's tradition in the arts and humanities of an "assertive humanism," responsive to contemporary social conditions. As globalization accelerates, community cultural development practice is more and more widely recognized as a powerful means of awakening and mobilizing alternatives to imposed cultural values. It is our hope that this report will help to further develop both the theory and practice of community cultural development.
http://www.rockfound.org

Making Waves: Stories of Participatory Communication for Social Change by Alfonso Gumucio Dagron - Rockefeller Foundation.
http://www.rockfound.org/display.asp?Collection=3&context=1&DocID=423&Preview=0&ARCurrent

Communications and Social Change: Forging Strategies for the 21st Century - Rockefeller Foundation.
http://www.rockfound.org/display.asp?Collection=3&context=1&DocID=228&Preview=0&ARCurrent

Organizing for Social Change: Midwest Academy: Manual for Activists by Kimberly Bobo, Jackie Kendall and Steve Max - Seven Locks Press. Compiled by members of the Midwest Academy this book is a bible for anyone who wants to effectively organize to change the quality of their lives or the lives of others. Now in its third edition this book has already sold 60,000 copies in all of its editions since 1991. With new information on the trends, technology, and concerns of the new millennium, this edition of Organizing for Social Change will help concerned citizens bring about needed changes by learning from the experiences of those who have succeeded. This book has been an ideal work book for social movement groups for over a decade. It has been used as a textbook in major universities including Harvard and Johns Hopkins. From local to international issues, this book helps organizers create attention and affect change.

In the Tiger's Mouth: An Empowerment Guide for Social Action by Katrina Shields - New Society Publishers. In deceptively simple language, Katrina Shields guides you through each step of social awareness and activism, from determining what changes need to take place and how you can effect them, to how to approach listeners with bad news that they may not want to hear, as well as how to avoid burnout. Shields's book is geared toward social activism, but also holds valuable truths for negotiators in business or any human transaction, such as how to create bridges between you and the opposition. How does one determine when an act, tradition, or unquestioned belief needs to be changed? The guide includes exercises that encourage discovery and growth, both for individuals and groups. -Amazon.com.

Organizing for Power and Empowerment by Jacqueline B. Mondros and Scott M. Wilson - Columbia University Press. This book is designed to help build powerful community organizations, empower ordinary citizens to become leaders, and bring about major social and economic change, this book offers a coherent practice-based framework for understanding social action, with power and empowerment at the center of analysis. Topics include recruiting members, consensus building, leadership, publicity, and fundraising.

"Combining theory, wisdom, and case examples, this book has everything you need to know about advocacy and organizing. First rate analysis. . . . Buy it, study it, and apply it!" -Richard Cloward, Columbia University School of Social Work.

Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals by Saul Alinsky - Vintage Books. First published in 1946 and updated in 1969 with a new Introduction and Afterword, this volume represents the fullest statement of the political philosophy and practical methodology of one of the most important figures in the history of American radicalism. Like Thomas Paine before him, Saul Alinsky, through the concept and practice of community organizing, was able to embody for his era both the urgency of radical political action and the imperative of rational political discourse. His work and writing bequeathed a new method and style of social change to American communities that will remain a permanent part of the American political landscape.

The Activist's Handbook: A Primer Updated Edition with a New Preface by Randy Shaw - University of California Press. This is a hard-hitting guide to making social change happen. Shaw, a longtime activist for urban issues, shows how positive change can still be accomplished- despite an increasingly grim political order-if activists employ the strategies set forth in this desperately needed primer. In a new preface, Shaw describes how the power of grassroots activism has won newfound respect. Mass protests against globalization and in favor of stricter gun controls have led once-invulnerable targets like the World Bank and the National Rifle Association to take citizen action more seriously. Inspiring "fear and loathing" in politicians, building diverse coalitions, and harnessing the media, the courts, and the electoral process to one's cause are only some of the key tactics Shaw advocates and explains. Central to all social-change activism, Shaw shows, is being proactive: rather than simply reacting to right-wing proposals, activists must develop an agenda and focus their resources on achieving it.

The Activist's Handbook details the impact of specific strategies on campaigns across the country: battles over homelessness, the environment, AIDS policies, neighborhood preservation, and school reform among others. Though activist groups can have widely different aims, similar tactics are shown to produce success. Further, the book offers a sophisticated analysis of the American power structure by someone on the front lines. In showing how people can and must make a difference at both local and national levels, this is an indispensable guide not only for activists, but for everyone interested in the future of progressive politics in America.

Be the Difference: A Beginners Guide to Changing the World by Danny Seo - New Society Publishers

Activists Speak Out by Marie Cieri and Claire Peeps, eds - Palgrave