Transformative social change

Last updated

Transformative social change is a philosophical, practical and strategic process to affect revolutionary change within society, i.e., social transformation. It is effectively a systems approach applied to broad-based social change and social justice efforts to catalyze sociocultural, socioeconomic and political revolution. In seeking to integrate and then politicize personal development and social development as an overarching approach to social change at multiple levels, addressing a wide range of issues, using holistic, nonviolent methods, [1] it may be best classified as a new social movement. Rather than focus on particular issue(s), it seeks to impact the culture of left of center social movement and organizing work. However, by considering the dismantling of and liberation from oppressive systems, including economic, as core to its goal, it defies even definitions put forth for new social movements. As a comprehensive approach to progressive social change, it distinguishes itself from the "ordinary" change of conventional social change, social justice, and their respective organizing practices by placing emphasis on personal, organizational and social systemic change that cannot be undone, or "deep change".

Contents

Definitions and components

A key premise defining transformative social change is that "the ends of justice can never be served by the means of injustice, even when the injustice is as subtle as the mental framework instilled by the quest for liberation." ("Change vs. Transformation" by Angel Kyodo Williams) [2] Williams further proposes that "because suffering cannot be alleviated by instigating suffering"; the conditions under which social justice activists and seekers operate within organizationally must exemplify the conditions they wish to ultimately see cultivated within society at large (also known as prefiguration (politics)). This ideal coincides with the quote often attributed to, but not said by, Mahatma Gandhi: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." [3] [4]

Seeking to better define and cohere the emerging and evolving work of transformative social change, a People's Movement Assembly process was held at the 2010 US Social Forum in Detroit, Michigan, in which the following framework for defining transformation was agreed to by way of resolution:

~Transformation, as applied to social change, is a process through which who we are – individually or collectively – is changed so deeply that the following are altered:

Further, the work of transformation requires the following components:

~ Transformation can and does consist of multi-disciplinary practices, modalities and paths, but overall it points toward the centrality of consistent, rigorous practice capable of undoing conditioning. Such a practice must effect systemic changes, internal and external. We refer to the broad spectrum of varied modalities as transformative practices.

~ Transformation happens in its own time and it can't be undone. We expect processes of transformation, as distinct from change, to be inclined towards being irreversible.

~ In the transformation process, one identity or self passes away and a new, radically altered one emerges. The new way of being is more integrated, resourceful and aligned. This is apparent to others in your presence, your actions and your increased capacity to respond based on vision, rather than reaction. This process repeats itself and deepens through continued engagement in transformative practices and processes. The old, previous “form” sheds again and new emerges again.

~ The methods and philosophy of transformation must be rooted in an explicit analysis of oppression.
~ We recognize that this work is grounded in ancient wisdom, lineages and history, and that it is entering a new phase of coherence that allows us to move forward.

Outcomes sought

Applied transformation leads to the following outcomes:

Grants and awards

In 2009, the Seasons Fund for Social Transformation, a funding collaborative of representatives from small to large foundations, including W. W. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation, Hidden Leaf Fund, Fetzer Institute, Jewish Funds for Justice, Seeds of Justice, Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program and small family funds held an inaugural Transformative Leadership Awards and awarded six collaborative teams $30,000 and two finalists $5,000 for their work in the field. [6]

Influences

Transformative social change is influenced by the work of social movements led by individuals that are viewed as attending to both their personal or spiritual development as well as systemic social issues because of the "realization that action is not enough": [7]

In 2002, scholars Raymond Allen Morrow and Carlos Alberto Torres used the phrase transformative social change as part of the subtitle in their book Reading Freire and Habermas: Critical Pedagogy and Transformative Social Change [8] as a term to convey the intersection between Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy and Jürgen Habermas' critical social theory, and the implications those convergences have for educational practice. However, the term is never specifically defined in the book, nor is any distinct theory set

The phrase is being applied[ by whom? ] as a social change field and movement in which developing inner awareness and nurturing one's inner life, i.e., personal development, is seen as essential in effective social justice work. This is taken to mean from an aligned, sustainable, and nonviolent place. It seeks to operationalize, in practical terms, the ideal of embodiment of the future desired state, in other words, to actualize Gandhi's exhortation to "be the change."

While transformative social change has evolved to include secular practices with no specific spiritual ties, its emphasis on collective liberation shares history, principles and proponents with spiritual activism and liberation spirituality. [9] Likewise, it shares principles of transformative learning and transformative justice, Examples of "transformative practice" include: yoga, meditation, centering prayer, tai chi, forward stance and types of somatic practices.

Transformative community organizing is being taught in university courses, in fields such as social work, community health, sociology, and other service learning classes. Scholars such as Loretta Pyles have offered a transformative organizing framework, grounded in feminist social change work, and affirming a practice of collective and self-inquiry based on meditative traditions and social movement practices, such as popular education. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape of man", oriented at "the image of God" as exemplified by the founders and sacred texts of the religions of the world. The term was used within early Christianity to refer to a life oriented toward the Holy Spirit and broadened during the Late Middle Ages to include mental aspects of life.

Spiritual is the adjective for spirit.

Transformative justice is a series of practices and philosophies designed to create change in social systems. Mostly, they are alternatives to criminal justice in cases of interpersonal violence, or are used for dealing with socioeconomic issues in societies transitioning away from conflict or repression. Other fields of practice have adopted transformative justice, including to address groups' work on other social issues and climate justice.

Engaged Buddhism, also known as socially engaged Buddhism, refers to a Buddhist social movement that emerged in Asia in the 20th century, composed of Buddhists who are seeking ways to apply the Buddhist ethics, insights acquired from meditation practice, and the teachings of the Buddhist dharma to contemporary situations of social, political, environmental and economic suffering, and injustice. Finding its roots in Vietnam through the Thiền Buddhist teacher Thích Nhất Hạnh, Engaged Buddhism was popularised by the Indian jurist, politician, and social reformer B. R. Ambedkar who inspired the Dalit Buddhist movement in the 1950s, and has since grown by spreading to the Indian subcontinent and the West.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulo Freire</span> Brazilian educator and philosopher

Paulo Reglus Neves Freire was a Brazilian educator and philosopher who was a leading advocate of critical pedagogy. His influential work Pedagogy of the Oppressed is generally considered one of the foundational texts of the critical pedagogy movement, and was the third most cited book in the social sciences as of 2016 according to Google Scholar.

Agricultural spiritualism or the Spirit of Agriculture refers to the idea that the concepts of food production and consumption and the essential spiritual nature of humanity are linked. It teaches that spirituality is inherent to human consciousness, is perhaps a product of it, and is accessible to all who cultivate it. The association with agriculture includes such agricultural metaphors as "cultivate" in language used by most mystics across history.

Reclaiming is a modern witchcraft tradition, aiming to combine the Goddess movement with feminism and political activism. Reclaiming was founded in 1979, in the context of the Reclaiming Collective (1978–1997), by two Neopagan women of Jewish descent, Starhawk and Diane Baker, in order to explore and develop feminist Neopagan emancipatory rituals.

Secular spirituality is the adherence to a spiritual philosophy without adherence to a religion. Secular spirituality emphasizes the personal growth and inner peace of the individual, rather than a relationship with the divine. Secular spirituality is made up of the search for meaning outside of a religious institution; it considers one's relationship with the self, others, nature, and whatever else one considers to be the ultimate. Often, the goal of secular spirituality is living happily and/or helping others.

The ecopedagogy movement is an outgrowth of the theory and practice of critical pedagogy, a body of educational praxis influenced by the philosopher and educator Paulo Freire. Ecopedagogy's mission is to develop a robust appreciation for the collective potentials of humanity and to foster social justice throughout the world. It does so as part of a future-oriented, ecological and political vision that radically opposes the globalization of ideologies such as neoliberalism and imperialism, while also attempting to foment forms of critical ecoliteracy. Recently, there have been attempts to integrate critical eco-pedagogy, as defined by Greg Misiaszek with Modern Stoic philosophy to create Stoic eco-pedagogy.

Anti-oppressive practice is an interdisciplinary approach primarily rooted within the practice of social work that focuses on ending socioeconomic oppression. It requires the practitioner to critically examine the power imbalance inherent in an organizational structure with regards to the larger sociocultural and political context in order to develop strategies for creating an egalitarian environment free from oppression, racism, and other forms of discrimination in the larger society, by engaging at the legal and political level. In general community practice it is about responding to oppression by dominant groups and individuals. In social services it regulates any possible oppressive practices and helps in delivering welfare services in an inclusive manner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egalitarian dialogue</span> Organisational communication strategy

Egalitarian dialogue is a dialogue in which contributions are considered according to the validity of their reasoning, instead of according to the status or position of power of those who make them. Although previously used widely in the social sciences and in reference to the Bakhtinian philosophy of dialogue, it was first systematically applied to dialogical education by Ramón Flecha in his 2000 work Sharing Words. Theory and Practice of Dialogic Learning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dialogic learning</span>

Dialogic learning is learning that takes place through dialogue. It is typically the result of egalitarian dialogue; in other words, the consequence of a dialogue in which different people provide arguments based on validity claims and not on power claims.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakesh Jhaveri</span> Spiritual leader, Author, and Scholar of Jainism

Rakesh Jhaveri, also known as Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai and Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, is a spiritual leader, mystic, scholar of Jainism, author and orator from India. Spiritually inclined from a young age, he is a follower of Shrimad Rajchandra, a Jain spiritual teacher. He completed doctoral studies on Shrimad's work Atmasiddhi. He founded Shrimad Rajchandra Mission, Dharampur which supports spiritual and social activities.

Engaged spirituality refers to the beliefs and practices of religious or spiritual people who actively engage in the world in order to transform it in ways consistent with their beliefs. The term was inspired by engaged Buddhism, a concept and set of values developed by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Engaged spirituality encompasses all the major faith traditions as well as people who refer to themselves as "spiritual but not religious." There are many iterations in practice, but the overarching desire for social transformation unites them. For some in the Catholic tradition, liberation theology guides their form of engaged spirituality.

Michael Aubrey "Mike" Edwards is a writer and activist who has worked in various positions in foundations, think-tanks and international development institutions and who has written widely on civil society, philanthropy and social transformation. He has been a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos in New York and has worked in senior management positions for Oxfam, Voluntary Service Overseas, Save the Children, the World Bank and the Ford Foundation. In 2013 he founded a new section of the global website openDemocracy called "Transformation" which was designed to explore the links between personal change and political change, and edited the site for eight years before leaving at the end of 2020. His writings examine the global role of civil society and its institutions, the purpose and impact of philanthropy and the not-for-profit sector, the role of business in solving social problems, and the links between personal and social transformation.

"Spiritual but not religious" (SBNR), also known as "spiritual but not affiliated" (SBNA), or less commonly "more spiritual than religious" is a popular phrase and initialism used to self-identify a life stance of spirituality that does not regard organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth. Historically, the words religious and spiritual have been used synonymously to describe all the various aspects of the concept of religion, but in contemporary usage spirituality has often become associated with the interior life of the individual, placing an emphasis upon the well-being of the "mind-body-spirit", while religion refers to organizational or communal dimensions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Dallmayr</span>

Fred Reinhard Dallmayr is an American philosopher and political theorist. He is Packey J. Dee Professor Emeritus in Political Science with a joint appointment in philosophy at the University of Notre Dame (US). He holds a Doctor of Law from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, and a PhD in political science from Duke University. He is the author of some 40 books and the editor of 20 other books. He has served as president of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy (SACP); an advisory member of the scientific committee of RESET – Dialogue on Civilizations (Rome); the executive co-chair of World Public Forum – Dialogue of Civilizations (Vienna), and a member of the supervisory board of the Dialogue of Civilizations Research Institute (Berlin).

Feminist pedagogy is a pedagogical framework grounded in feminist theory. It embraces a set of epistemological theories, teaching strategies, approaches to content, classroom practices, and teacher-student relationships. Feminist pedagogy, along with other kinds of progressive and critical pedagogy, considers knowledge to be socially constructed.

Social justice art, and arts for social justice, encompasses a wide range of visual and performing art that aim to raise critical consciousness, build community, and motivate individuals to promote social change. Art has been used as a means to record history, shape culture, cultivate imagination, and harness individual and social transformation. It can not only be a means to generate awareness, but it can also be a catalyst to engage community members to take action around a social issue.

Spiritual activism is a practice that brings together the otherworldly and inward-focused work of spirituality and the outwardly-focused work of activism. Spiritual activism asserts that these two practices are inseparable and calls for a recognition that the binaries of inward/outward, spiritual/material, and personal/political all form part of a larger interconnected whole between and among all living things. In an essay on queer Chicana feminist and theorist Gloria E. Anzaldúa's reflections on spiritual activist practice, AnaLouise Keating states that "spiritual activism is spirituality for social change, spirituality that posits a relational worldview and uses this holistic worldview to transform one's self and one's worlds."

References

  1. ↑ Deep Change Gathering: Transforming the Practice of Social Justice, Gathering, Asheville, NC, June 5–7, 2009 Archived 2015-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ Williams, Angel Kyodo; Gass, Robert; Horwitz, Claudia; Vega-Frey, Jesse; Maina, Ng'ethe; Haines, Staci K.; Movement Strategy Center (2010). Framing Deep Change: Essays on Transformative Social Change. Third Way Press. p. 4. ISBN   978-0-9828845-0-8.
  3. ↑ "Mahatma Gandhi" Wikiquote
  4. ↑ Morton, Brian (August 29, 2011). "Falser Words Were Never Spoken" . The New York Times .
  5. ↑ Defining Transformation for Social Change Archived 2010-07-20 at the Wayback Machine , 2010 US Social Forum People's Movement Assembly, Detroit, MI – June 22–26, 2010
  6. ↑ "Transformative Leadership Awards, 2009". Archived from the original on 2009-12-31. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  7. ↑ "Seasons Fund website". Archived from the original on 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  8. ↑ Reading Freire and Habermas: Critical Pedagogy and Transformative Social Change, Teachers College Press, 2002, ISBN   0-8077-4202-3
  9. ↑ Claudia Horwitz & Jesse Maceo Vega-Frey (2006). Spiritual Activism and Liberation Spirituality: Pathways To Collective Liberation Archived 2010-12-23 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ Pyles, L. (2014). Progressive Community Organizing: Reflective Practice in a Globalizing World
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.