Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising
Community organising, an approach aiming at building local leadership and empowering local communities, has become increasingly popular in the last few decades because of the crisis of more traditional practises of civil society building and political action. In this paper, the authors first describ...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/9/837 |
| _version_ | 1797482937261752320 |
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| author | Luca Ozzano Sara Fenoglio |
| author_facet | Luca Ozzano Sara Fenoglio |
| author_sort | Luca Ozzano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Community organising, an approach aiming at building local leadership and empowering local communities, has become increasingly popular in the last few decades because of the crisis of more traditional practises of civil society building and political action. In this paper, the authors first describe the main tenets of this approach, formalised between the 1930s and the 1940s in Chicago by Saul Alinsky, and its history and evolution to the present day. The following paragraphs describe the role played by religious values and religious communities, often representing key institutions in rundown social and urban contexts, in this approach. In the last paragraph, the authors finally discuss the conception of power implied in the version of community organising proposed by the Industrial Areas Foundation (an organisation created by Alinsky) and its affiliates, and the role of religion in it. With this work, the authors argue that the relational and bottom-up idea of power proposed by the IAF and its affiliates, although often focused on the development of a local power base able to place political pressure on the authorities from below and even economic boycott campaigns, has increasingly also relied on soft power after Alinsky’s death, especially because of the development of the ‘relational’ side of community organising, a process where the involvement of religious congregations (with the weight of their moral authority) has played a major role. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:39:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a4f7086119549d2ab3bba2a3409e7a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T22:39:42Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a4f7086119549d2ab3bba2a3409e7a92023-11-23T18:41:48ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-09-0113983710.3390/rel13090837Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community OrganisingLuca Ozzano0Sara Fenoglio1Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, ItalyDepartment of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, ItalyCommunity organising, an approach aiming at building local leadership and empowering local communities, has become increasingly popular in the last few decades because of the crisis of more traditional practises of civil society building and political action. In this paper, the authors first describe the main tenets of this approach, formalised between the 1930s and the 1940s in Chicago by Saul Alinsky, and its history and evolution to the present day. The following paragraphs describe the role played by religious values and religious communities, often representing key institutions in rundown social and urban contexts, in this approach. In the last paragraph, the authors finally discuss the conception of power implied in the version of community organising proposed by the Industrial Areas Foundation (an organisation created by Alinsky) and its affiliates, and the role of religion in it. With this work, the authors argue that the relational and bottom-up idea of power proposed by the IAF and its affiliates, although often focused on the development of a local power base able to place political pressure on the authorities from below and even economic boycott campaigns, has increasingly also relied on soft power after Alinsky’s death, especially because of the development of the ‘relational’ side of community organising, a process where the involvement of religious congregations (with the weight of their moral authority) has played a major role.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/9/837powerreligioncommunity organisingIAFpolitical practices |
| spellingShingle | Luca Ozzano Sara Fenoglio Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising Religions power religion community organising IAF political practices |
| title | Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising |
| title_full | Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising |
| title_fullStr | Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising |
| title_short | Conceptions of Power and Role of Religion in Community Organising |
| title_sort | conceptions of power and role of religion in community organising |
| topic | power religion community organising IAF political practices |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/9/837 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucaozzano conceptionsofpowerandroleofreligionincommunityorganising AT sarafenoglio conceptionsofpowerandroleofreligionincommunityorganising |