Community Analysis and Practice

"Community Analysis and Practice contains an excellent review and creative synthesis of more than a century of community theory, public policy, and community initiatives in the United States. I know of no other work that brings together so much theoretical and empirical work, drawn from both research and practice, that is related to communities. Figueria-McDonough outlines a logically derived framework...with the goal of enhancing social justice through the promotion of viable communities." -- William Barton, Ph.D., School of Social Work, Indiana University"In its common usage, the concept of 'community' is surrounded by a warm fuzziness referring to favorable or appealing relationships. Josefina Figueira-McDonough's book represents a step towards moving the concept from this empty location to a clear, and theoretically useful position. For its attempts at establishing solid grounds for community work this book is a timely addition to the literature...In addition, the focus of this book is also timely due to the increased consolidation and expansion of clinical individual work which incorporates recent theoretical critiques, leaving community work begging for an approach capable of reinvigorating and infusing a practice that has, in many cases, dwindled into community management with contemporary progressive social tranformation ideas and developments." -- Journal of Progressive Human Services

• Acknowledgments. Introduction. Community Construction and Social Change: In Search of a Working Definition. Dimensions of Communalism: A Structural Framework. Heuristic Applications of the Population-Organization Framework. Focusing on Community as the Unit of Analysis: Varieties of Research. The Growing Impact of Environment: Community as Dependent Variable. Knowledge from Praxis. Professional Models of Community Organization. In Search of the New Civil Society. References