research
Are academics irrelevant? Strategies for community university collaboration
James Whelan (2004): A discussion of obstacles to activist scholars and engaged academics, and proposes strategies to bridge this unhelpful divide. This paper was presented by Sam and James during the 2004 ‘Inside Out’ conference.
Campaign to control landclearing in Queensland
James Whelan and Kristen Lyons. Examines a hugely successful campaign run collaboratively by several ENGOs. The success of this campaign suggests that the emphasis placed on a narrowly defined set of social capital indicators in prevailing natural resource management...
Community organising for climate action
James Whelan (2012) describes how parts of the environment and climate change movements are adopting the techniques and logic of community organising. This challenges them to learn new habits of political analysis and engagement, and unlearn old ones.
Community Empowerment: Critical Perspectives from Scotland
Akwugo Emejulu and Mae Shaw have developed a great new publication that focuses on a concern about the meaning, politics, possibilities and practices of empowerment.
“One of everything”: Reconciling the individual and the collective in Australian climate activism
Georgina Woods (2012) draws on personal experiences from her collective organising in Rising Tide Newcastle, at Climate Camp 2008 and in the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate talks. Her article points to the reconciliation between the individual and the
For the Common Good: the Murray Darling Basin campaign
Mary Tinney. A Case Study of the Murray-Darling Water and Salinity Campaign of the Social Action Office
Does popular education have a past: Radical adult education and the Communist Party of Australia
Bob Boughton (1996). Presented at the UTS Popular Education Conference, Sydney
Community organising by the book
James Whelan (2002). A critical appraisal of the Midwest Academy community organiser training program (a modified version of this paper was published in Applied Environmental Education and Communication)
The forest protest protocol: An outbreak of participatory democracy
Aidan Ricketts (2000) examines how the North East Forest Alliance has successfully combined uncompromising direct action strategies in the form of blockades and occupations with sophisticated lobbying and litigation. Published in the Alternative Law Journal.
Confronting Climate Change
Nina Lansbury Hall and Ros Taplin (2006): A review of theoretical perspectives on environmental NGOs and their campaign effectiveness, Presented at the Ecopolitics XVI conference, Griffith University, July 4-6, 2005.
Directors’ duties to the company and minority shareholder environmental activism
Aidan Ricketts, Shelley Bielefeld, Sue Higginson and Jim Jackson investigate the use of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the common law that applies to companies as mechanisms to discourage environmentally destructive activities of corporations.Publish
Not in our name: An evaluation of the Australian anti war movement 2002-2003
Justin Whelan’s (2007) evaluation of the campaign against Australia’s involvement in the Iraq war examines the efforts of anti-war coalitions and the broader movement. Justin draws on social movement theories including Bill Moyer’s Movement Action...
Community action and engagement
James Whelan (2006). Case studies of Maleny and Gold Coast environmental campaigns.
Fun, fast and fit: teenagers who cycle to school
Arthur Orsini and Catherine O’Brien’s (2006) interviews with teenagers reveal their strategies to influence their peers.
The accidental activist: Activism, community and social change
Tracey Ollis researched how adult activists learn to become more expert through socialisation in a ‘community of practice’. This article focuses on ’emancipatory learning, radical adult education and popular education. Tracey focuses on the...
The Toppling of Slobodan Milosevic
Marty Branagan (2004) exploring the role of nonviolent political action in overthrowing the Serbian dictatorship.
Keeping it Real: University collaboration with community based environmental advocates
James Whelan (2003): The higher education sector has been urged to demonstrate community relevance by engaging with community problem-solving and action for social justice and by acting as ‘significant allies’ of the community advocacy sector. Despite these urgings,...