Community Practice and Social Development in a Global World

Abstract

This chapter explores community practice and social development in the context of globalization. The interface between contemporary manifestations of globalization and community development is highlighted, particularly in relation to the perceived effects of globalization on community practices in social work and the processes of social development. Community development is grounded in the local context, but increasingly “the local and the global” are interacting domains of analysis and practice. This chapter will focus on a range of existing and emerging social concerns in an interconnected global world and discuss how community development approaches enable critical, creative, and sustainable practices to realize social justice goals. While “globalization from above” aligns with current conceptions of economic, political, cultural, social, and technological global processes, transnational advocacy (Gilson, Globalizations 10(4):571–585, 2011; Moghadam, Global social movements and transnational advocacy. In: Amenta E, Nash K, Scott A (eds) The Wiley-Blackwell companion to political sociology. Blackwell, New Jersey, pp 408–420, 2012) holds the potential to embody a form of “globalization from below” (Brecher et al., Globalisation from below: the power of solidarity. South End Press, Cambridge, MA, 2002; Falk, The making of global citizenship. In: Brecher J, Childs J, Cutler J (eds) Global visions: beyond the new world order. South End Press, Boston, pp 39–50, 1993; Ife, Community development in an uncertain world: vision, analysis and practice, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2016) where civil society actors such as individual, groups, communities, and organizations connect and interact across local, state, and international borders to develop policy responses and actions for social change. The main aim in this chapter is to explore both global and local forces, tensions, and processes and uncover the essential and transforming nature of community practices in a global world.