Empowering Community Settings and Community Mobilization

Abstract

Empowering community settings exist in many community domains. One domain includes groups and organizations that empower oppressed citizens to challenge societal culture and institutions, and take action to change them. To be considered empowering, a community setting must have both an empowering process, and lead to an empowered outcome. Our study tried to answer the following question: Does the empowering community setting model provide a potentially useful framework for analysis of community movements? Based on qualitative analysis of data related to the characteristics of the anti–High Speed Railway movement (Susa Valley, Italy) and to its effects on the larger community, the findings support the view that at least some types of community movements are usefully regarded as empowering community settings. Discussion focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of applying this conceptual framework to community movements, and highlights directions for future research.