Based on 25 years of community development practice, six of which have been lived in South Africa, Peter Westoby’s ground-breaking monograph moves away from dominant normative accounts of community development to provide an appreciative and critical analysis of concrete examples of community development theory and practice.
By examining community development stories as experienced on the ground, Westoby is able to show how the poor are organising themselves using various forms of community development as well as demonstrating how the state and non-state actors are attempting to organise, engage or accompany the poor through community development. The book also breaks new ground in theorising the practice of community development, drawing inductively from the stories analysed.
The diversity of South African contexts and the proliferation of different kinds of community practice, make this a hugely difficult task. Despite this, Westoby argues it is one worth undertaking given the seriousness of the challenges facing the poor and progressive social change agents within South Africa.
In this undertaking, Westoby draws upon a unique analytical framework to help illuminate current community development policy and programme challenges, along with practice dilemmas and wisdom.
Table of Contents:
Contents: Foreword, Frik de Beer; Preface; Introduction. Part I Approach to the Research Project: Theorising the practice of community development; Research methodology and the researcher horizon. Part II Conceptual Lenses for `Reading’ Community Development within South Africa: Traditions of community development; Guided by frameworks. Part III Community-Based Practices and NGO Stories of Community Development: Community development, education and the Hantam Community Education Trust; Community development, community cohesion and the Nelson Mandela Foundation; Community economic development and the Abalimi Home and Community Garden Movement; Community development, political practice and the Southern Cape Land Committee; Community development, the `craft’ of community-based education and training and the YMCA; Interlude: the process of community development - in dialogue with Es’kia. Part IV Exploring State-Led Community Development: The dilemmas of South Africa’s state employed community development workers; Community development and cooperative development within South Africa; Training of community development workers within South Africa; Conclusion. References; Index.
About the Author :
Dr Peter Westoby is a Senior Lecturer in Community Development, School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia; a Research Associate at the Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa; and also a Director of Community Praxis Cooperative. Peter has over 25 years of experience in youth, community and organisational development in various settings, such as Australia, South Africa, Uganda, Vanuatu, the Philippines and PNG. His research interests include community development, dialogue theory and practice, and forced migration studies. Together with Lynda Shevellar he edited Learning and Mobilising for Community Development (Ashgate, 2012).
Review :
'Whilst the values of community development are - or should be - universal (social justice, equality, respect, dignity, etc.), the practice of community development needs to be grounded in a specific context. This rich and detailed book provides both an illuminating national case study (from post-apartheid South Africa) and also, as is missing from many texts, a solid and welcome attempt at theory-building.' Gary Craig, Durham University, UK 'Anyone interested in community development approaches and community development work will benefit by reading this book. For anyone who wants to understand the different traditions of community development, but also the community development practice on the ground, will find the stories and examples of community development work within South Africa, as portrayed by Peter Westoby, fascinating and very illuminating for their own community development practice.' Lucius Botes, University of the Free State, South Africa
