Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development
International Perspectives
By Gerard Dowling, Peter Westoby | Publisher: Taylor and Francis
About the book
This book proposes that community development has been increasingly influenced and co-opted by a modernist, soulless, rational philosophy - reducing it to a shallow technique for ‘solving community problems’. In contrast, this dialogical approach re-maps the ground of community development practice within a frame of ideas such as dialogue, hospitality and depth. For the first time community development practitioners are provided? with an accessible understanding of dialogue and its relevance to their practice, exploring the contributions of internationally significant thinkers such as? P. Freire, M. Buber, D. Bohm and H.G Gadamer, J. Derrida, G. Esteva and R. Sennett. What makes the book distinctive is that: first, it identifies a dialogical tradition of community development and considers how such a tradition shapes practice within contemporary contexts and concerns – economic, social, political, cultural and ecological. Second, the book contrasts such an approach with technical and instrumental approaches to development that fail to take complex systems seriously. Third, the approach links theory to practice through a combination of storytelling and theory-reflection – ensuring that readers are drawn into a practice-theory that they feel increasingly confident has been 'tried and tested' in the world over the past 25 years.
Editions of Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development
- EBook
- ISBN 9781136272844
- PDF
- ISBN 9781136272851
Read an Excerpt
This book proposes that community development has been increasingly influenced and co-opted by a modernist, soulless, rational philosophy - reducing it to a shallow technique for ‘solving community problems’. In contrast, this dialogical approach re-maps the ground of community development practice within a frame of ideas such as dialogue, hospitality and depth. For the first time community development practitioners are provided? with an accessible understanding of dialogue and its relevance to their practice, exploring the contributions of internationally significant thinkers such as? P. Freire, M. Buber, D. Bohm and H.G Gadamer, J. Derrida, G. Esteva and R. Sennett. What makes the book distinctive is that: first, it identifies a dialogical tradition of community development and considers how such a tradition shapes practice within contemporary contexts and concerns – economic, social, political, cultural and ecological. Second, the book contrasts such an approach with technical and instrumental approaches to development that fail to take complex systems seriously. Third, the approach links theory to practice through a combination of storytelling and theory-reflection – ensuring that readers are drawn into a practice-theory that they feel increasingly confident has been 'tried and tested' in the world over the past 25 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development about?
This book proposes that community development has been increasingly influenced and co-opted by a modernist, soulless, rational philosophy - reducing it to a shallow technique for ‘solving community problems’. In contrast, this dialogical approach re-maps the ground of community development practice within a frame of ideas such as dialogue, hospitality and depth. For the first time community development practitioners are provided? with an accessible understanding of dialogue and its relevance to their practice, exploring the contributions of internationally significant thinkers such as? P. Freire, M. Buber, D. Bohm and H.G Gadamer, J. Derrida, G. Esteva and R. Sennett. What makes the book distinctive is that: first, it identifies a dialogical tradition of community development and considers how such a tradition shapes practice within contemporary contexts and concerns – economic, social, political, cultural and ecological. Second, the book contrasts such an approach with technical and instrumental approaches to development that fail to take complex systems seriously. Third, the approach links theory to practice through a combination of storytelling and theory-reflection – ensuring that readers are drawn into a practice-theory that they feel increasingly confident has been 'tried and tested' in the world over the past 25 years.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development?
Reference, Information and Interdisciplinary subjects > Interdisciplinary studies > Development studies
Where can I read a sample of Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781136272844
Who is/are the Author/s of the book Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development?
Gerard Dowling, Peter Westoby
Who is the Publisher of the book Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development?
Taylor and Francis
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
Theory and Practice of Dialogical Community Development is available as ebook(ISBN 9781136272844) and pdf(ISBN 9781136272851)