Community Development in an Uncertain World Vision, Analysis and Practice

THIS CHAPTER CONSIDERS two important foundational perspectives for community development: ecological and social justice. These represent two distinct traditions in community work: on the one hand there have been ecological thinkers and environmental activists who have seen community as an important component of a sustainable future, and on the other there have been social justice and human rights advocates who have seen community development as an important way to move towards a more just and equitable world and to help meet people's needs. It is the contention of this book that both these traditions are important for community development, and that each is inadequate without the other. There is not much point in working for sustainability in a world of oppression, inequality and injustice, and similarly there is no point in working for social and economic justice in an unsustainable world where the very continuing existence of the human race is threatened. This chapter will outline elements of each of these perspectives, and this discussion will then be used in later chapters to develop an approach to community development.

An ecological perspective: some key concepts

The ecological perspective has been given added urgency by the ecological crisis facing the world, as discussed in the two previous chapters. The current social, economic and political order simply cannot continue as we approach the ecological limits to growth. This gives the imperative for change increased urgency. It is not simply a case of change being a good idea in order to meet values of social justice; rather, change is a necessity for the survival of human civilisation, if not of humanity itself. The unsustainability of the existing order makes change inevitable, so it is important to establish a sound ecological foundation for whatever new world we wish to establish. Community development, therefore, requires a strong ecological perspective. The ecological perspective developed here derives from the Green critique of the current social, economic and political order. This critique represents a powerful and fundamental challenge to many of the accepted norms of social and political discourse. It is a challenge that, in the twenty-first century, can no longer be ignored, and which will inevitably play a major role in the shaping of a future society.