What do you think?
Rate this book
Community Psychology: In Pursuit of Liberation and Wellbeing
This visionary textbook is the third edition of a trusted and highly respected introduction to community psychology. The editors have focused on three contemporary social issues in order to illustrate key concepts throughout the climate change, affordable housing and homelessness, and immigration. Featuring a wide range of critical perspectives from international scholars and practitioners, Community Psychology encourages students to consider theories and methodologies in light of how they might be applied to different cultures and settings. It develops students' ability to think critically about the role of psychology in society, and about how the work of community psychologists can aid in the liberation of oppressed groups, promoting social justice and flourishing both for people and for our planet.This book is essential reading for students taking both undergraduate and graduate courses in community psychology and its related fields.New to this New chapters on power and racism- Coverage of the latest research in the field, with numerous new concepts, theories, and references- An approach which takes three critical issues as illustrative examples throughout the immigration, affordable housing and homelessness, and climate change.Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/communi.... These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.
576 pages, Paperback
Published March 28, 2020
2 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2024
3.5/5
I had the opportunity to previously glancd over the second edition of the book as well, written mainly by Nelson and Prilleltensky. In the preface to this edition, they have brought forward a case for "change of guard" to the current set of authors. In many ways, this attempt has proven fruitful, and in other ways, it has not.
The first 3 parts of the book are lucidly written, and I must say, better in understanding than the second edition. Infact, the 2 units on research methods specific to community psychology are the most brilliantly explained chapters I have come across in all domains of psychology! All praise for that is indeed inadequate. I emerged significantly enlightened and with conceptual clarity, and very excited for the last part, part 4, which focuses on applications and current issues in CP.
Here, however, I was deeply let down. (I wonder if it was because of my own high expectations). In the last few minutes I have also introspected on my experience reading the theory portions, and also understood that despite their best efforts, the authors have been unable to escape their deeply American and eurocentric biases. While it is understandable that a significant theories generated in America (or were they the only ones to be documented?), and this is indeed a global edition, i wonder what a psychology student in US would think if they only got theories from Asia. Commendable effort has been made to include Latin America, Australia and some European narratives, but that is where the book stops.
Beyond these areas, the text has descended into a wholesale generalization of 'Asian' and 'African' narratives. I found no mention whatsoever, of CP research in India, or China, or Middle East, or south East Asia, or regional aspects in Africa. Entire African CP narrative has been centered around South Africa. I cannot and will not speak for the accuracy of that, but in no way does a "Asian" perspective exist. To encapsulate entire existence of (massively populated) continents within 'holistic' and 'indigenous' and 'collective' culture labels is symptomatic of how the writers have fallen prey to the problems they themselves pointed out. I waited and waited, reading hundreds of pages, to find some mention of Indian perspective, only to find that beyond 2 boxes, 1 about Kerala, and one about Telengana, and one paragraph in main text about Kerala (which was actually a repeat of what was said in the box earlier), and the book simply ran out of pages. In the chapter about colonisation, there isn't one line about India, and sadly Gandhi is mispelled as Ghandhi atleast 2 times.
I would not have gone ahead with such a critical review, but because The authors have repeatedly (and rightfully so) emphasised on the need for critical inputs as one of the core values of CP, I felt compelled to do so. In that aspect, I must conclude, they have successfully completed their task. The theory is solid and well researched, the intentions are clear, yet the looking glass still carries the taint of what we on this side of the globe are all too familiar with, when reading text books of our disciplines.
I had the opportunity to previously glancd over the second edition of the book as well, written mainly by Nelson and Prilleltensky. In the preface to this edition, they have brought forward a case for "change of guard" to the current set of authors. In many ways, this attempt has proven fruitful, and in other ways, it has not.
The first 3 parts of the book are lucidly written, and I must say, better in understanding than the second edition. Infact, the 2 units on research methods specific to community psychology are the most brilliantly explained chapters I have come across in all domains of psychology! All praise for that is indeed inadequate. I emerged significantly enlightened and with conceptual clarity, and very excited for the last part, part 4, which focuses on applications and current issues in CP.
Here, however, I was deeply let down. (I wonder if it was because of my own high expectations). In the last few minutes I have also introspected on my experience reading the theory portions, and also understood that despite their best efforts, the authors have been unable to escape their deeply American and eurocentric biases. While it is understandable that a significant theories generated in America (or were they the only ones to be documented?), and this is indeed a global edition, i wonder what a psychology student in US would think if they only got theories from Asia. Commendable effort has been made to include Latin America, Australia and some European narratives, but that is where the book stops.
Beyond these areas, the text has descended into a wholesale generalization of 'Asian' and 'African' narratives. I found no mention whatsoever, of CP research in India, or China, or Middle East, or south East Asia, or regional aspects in Africa. Entire African CP narrative has been centered around South Africa. I cannot and will not speak for the accuracy of that, but in no way does a "Asian" perspective exist. To encapsulate entire existence of (massively populated) continents within 'holistic' and 'indigenous' and 'collective' culture labels is symptomatic of how the writers have fallen prey to the problems they themselves pointed out. I waited and waited, reading hundreds of pages, to find some mention of Indian perspective, only to find that beyond 2 boxes, 1 about Kerala, and one about Telengana, and one paragraph in main text about Kerala (which was actually a repeat of what was said in the box earlier), and the book simply ran out of pages. In the chapter about colonisation, there isn't one line about India, and sadly Gandhi is mispelled as Ghandhi atleast 2 times.
I would not have gone ahead with such a critical review, but because The authors have repeatedly (and rightfully so) emphasised on the need for critical inputs as one of the core values of CP, I felt compelled to do so. In that aspect, I must conclude, they have successfully completed their task. The theory is solid and well researched, the intentions are clear, yet the looking glass still carries the taint of what we on this side of the globe are all too familiar with, when reading text books of our disciplines.
November 7, 2024
I'm truly interested in this topic and the book is well organized but it is so dry, it's hard to focus on the content
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews