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Participatory community development : a networking approach

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dc.contributor.advisor Rademeyer, G.
dc.contributor.author Pistorius, Anna Gertruida en
dc.date.accessioned 2015-01-23T04:24:06Z
dc.date.available 2015-01-23T04:24:06Z
dc.date.issued 2000-10 en
dc.identifier.citation Pistorius, Anna Gertruida (2000) Participatory community development : a networking approach, University of South Africa, Pretoria, <http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15790> en
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10500/15790
dc.description.abstract This thesis is an account of how a networking approach may assist participatory community development. The author undertakes naturalistic action research into how she can improve her social practice with a view to gaining equal participation amongst university and community members in a community development practicum. She describes how efforts to maximize group participation are typically countered with various forms of non-participation, analogous to a rebellion against authoritarianism. Dialogue with her doctoral peer group about tacit meanings from her personal history reveals that she is too heavily invested in community involvement. A stance of irreverence gives her the freedom to realize that her politically correct approach is conveying the message that "MY way of participation is THE way". She embarks on a networking programme of action in the hope of achieving more balanced participation. A multidisciplinary workshop and a study tour show her that openness to multiple inputs may free people from restrictive views and problematic styles of participation. She initiates the formation of a local network and finds that this is a more free-flowing structure that encourages fluid problem solving among community, government and university participants. The author's original anxieties are, however, revived when networking, too, becomes entangled in organizational complexities. She eventually realizes that she tends to base her actions on premises of power and justice and that it may be helpful to base new ventures on information flow and creativity instead. Her new approach to group facilitation elicits creative inputs from others. She finds that deliberate debate of the assumptions on which collective undertakings are based releases an awareness of alternative approaches to addressing unequal resource utilization in the commons. A review of the local Network's development over six years draws attention to networking resources, and its uses, structuring and management. The author's experiences continuously demonstrate that the assumptions of independence and freedom of choice may provide a more satisfactory basis upon which to manage community participation.
dc.format.extent 1 online resource (vii, 161 leaves) en
dc.language en
dc.subject Constructivism
dc.subject Action research
dc.subject Participatory community development
dc.subject Community psychology practicum
dc.subject Democratization promblem
dc.subject Networking
dc.subject Community networks
dc.subject Premises
dc.subject Information
dc.subject Creativity
dc.subject.ddc 361.250968 en
dc.subject.lcsh Behavior modification -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Community psychology -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Self-help groups -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Social networks -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Constructivism (Psychology) -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Participant observation en
dc.subject.lcsh Community development -- South Africa -- Citizen participation en
dc.subject.lcsh Community organization -- South Africa -- Citizen participation en
dc.subject.lcsh Social action -- South Africa -- Citizen participation en
dc.subject.lcsh Professional education -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Social service -- South Africa -- Citizen participation en
dc.subject.lcsh Group problem solving -- South Africa en
dc.subject.lcsh Human services -- South Africa -- Citizen participation en
dc.title Participatory community development : a networking approach en
dc.type Thesis
dc.description.department Social Work
dc.description.degree D.Litt. et Phil. (Psychology) en


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