Connecting our analysis to create alliances: opportunities for action arising from neoliberalism's joint challenge to communities and our environment
Connecting our analysis to create alliances: opportunities for action arising from neoliberalism 's joint challenge to communities and our environment
Paper delivered to the Sociologial Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference, 7
March 2014.
Jamie Gorman, Centre for Rights, Recognition and Redistribution, Department of
Applied Social Studies, NUI Maynooth. jamie.gorman@nuim.ie Abstract
This paper argues that neoliberalism, as a common threat for social justice and environmental concerns, can create mutual consensus for political action across diverse interest groups. The paper highlights neoliberial trends towards the commodification of community and the marketisation of the environment. It identifies three characteristics of commercialisation, depoliticisation and cosumption. The paper finds that many proposed solutions remain within the neoliberal paradigm and seek to capitalise on the crisis rather than provide for transformative social change. It therefore explores how counter-hegemonic sollutions might be developed through effective alliances between community development and the environmental movement. It maps out the diverse spaces where consensus for political action might be achieved, highlighting examples in marginalised and pollution affected communities, communities promoting sustainability and communities resisting unsustainability. The paper suggests that processes of dialogue and alliance building can support more
effective
engagement
between
community
development
and
environmentalism. This paper has implications for how the social professions responds to environmental issues at a time when climate change is increasingly affecting communities with whom they are concerned and with whom they work for social justice.
Key words
Community development, environmental justice, neoliberalism, action research
1
Introduction
As societies across the globe grapple with the challenges that climate
Paper delivered to the Sociologial Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference, 7
March 2014.
Jamie Gorman, Centre for Rights, Recognition and Redistribution, Department of
Applied Social Studies, NUI Maynooth. jamie.gorman@nuim.ie Abstract
This paper argues that neoliberalism, as a common threat for social justice and environmental concerns, can create mutual consensus for political action across diverse interest groups. The paper highlights neoliberial trends towards the commodification of community and the marketisation of the environment. It identifies three characteristics of commercialisation, depoliticisation and cosumption. The paper finds that many proposed solutions remain within the neoliberal paradigm and seek to capitalise on the crisis rather than provide for transformative social change. It therefore explores how counter-hegemonic sollutions might be developed through effective alliances between community development and the environmental movement. It maps out the diverse spaces where consensus for political action might be achieved, highlighting examples in marginalised and pollution affected communities, communities promoting sustainability and communities resisting unsustainability. The paper suggests that processes of dialogue and alliance building can support more
effective
engagement
between
community
development
and
environmentalism. This paper has implications for how the social professions responds to environmental issues at a time when climate change is increasingly affecting communities with whom they are concerned and with whom they work for social justice.
Key words
Community development, environmental justice, neoliberalism, action research
1
Introduction
As societies across the globe grapple with the challenges that climate
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