Throughout history there have been numerous influences on organizing. From social organizers to monumental social movements, organizing continues to evolve. Even today, organizing is continuously expanding as more knowledge evolves. Community organizing has become a major factor in social work and has increased in popularity. Community organizing has been identified as utilizing tactics and strategies to encourage negotiations and agreements through means of nonviolent civil disobedience and economic action, public shaming, lobbying, mutual aid from alternative institutions, and public education (Miller, 2010). This paper explores Saul Alinsky and his works as a contributor to community organizing.
Saul Alinsky Background
Saul David …show more content…
He supported this belief throughout his works. As a radical, Saul Alinsky has contributed to community organizing in many ways. According to Engel (1998), Saul Alinsky is categorized as the “dean of community-organizing.” In his third book, Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, he introduced his model for community organizing. Models have been very popular in studying community organizing and have helped to develop criteria and curricula for teaching community organizing. Alinsky’s models for community organizing viewed the capitalist economic system and the social systems as problems and are the reason for the current status of all social issues. His model also emphasized the need to work within the system to change the system (Lundquist, Tulpule, Vang & Pi, 2012). During a class discussion, tensions that occur within community organizing had been a topic. One such tension is the “insider outsider” tension. This tension incorporates the idea of how being an insider or an outsider impacts one’s work with community organizing. Alinsky’s model speaks on the insider outsider tension, emphasizing how it is important to be an insider. His own experiences and research with juvenile gangs support his perspective, for he became an insider within the gang population to be able to develop accurate research on …show more content…
With this proclamation of the need for the Catholic Church in community organizing, Alinsky influenced the establishment of a faith-based community organizing model. The faith-based community organizing model began with Alinsky’s work with religious institutions as a source for the people. Alinsky’s work was the foundation which was expanded upon and explored further by Ernesto Cortes Jr., an organizer from San Antonio. (Lundquist, Tulpule, Vang & Pi, 2012). His influence was also seen through the invitations he received to speak and Catholic gatherings from the 1940s to the 1960s. Through these gatherings, he developed many relationships with Catholic leaders, including Jacques Maritain, a philosopher. His influence in the faith-based community organizing model can be seen today through the use of faith-based community organizing models being used today through the IAF; founded by Alinsky is still active today with the national headquarters located in Chicago and serving twenty-one states and three foreign countries (Perazzo, 2008). His efforts with the BYOC resulted in the BYOC becoming known as an “orderly revolution” and Alinsky becoming known as a genius (Engel, 2002). His work gained him national recognition as an organizer. (Engel,
Saul Alinsky Background
Saul David …show more content…
He supported this belief throughout his works. As a radical, Saul Alinsky has contributed to community organizing in many ways. According to Engel (1998), Saul Alinsky is categorized as the “dean of community-organizing.” In his third book, Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals, he introduced his model for community organizing. Models have been very popular in studying community organizing and have helped to develop criteria and curricula for teaching community organizing. Alinsky’s models for community organizing viewed the capitalist economic system and the social systems as problems and are the reason for the current status of all social issues. His model also emphasized the need to work within the system to change the system (Lundquist, Tulpule, Vang & Pi, 2012). During a class discussion, tensions that occur within community organizing had been a topic. One such tension is the “insider outsider” tension. This tension incorporates the idea of how being an insider or an outsider impacts one’s work with community organizing. Alinsky’s model speaks on the insider outsider tension, emphasizing how it is important to be an insider. His own experiences and research with juvenile gangs support his perspective, for he became an insider within the gang population to be able to develop accurate research on …show more content…
With this proclamation of the need for the Catholic Church in community organizing, Alinsky influenced the establishment of a faith-based community organizing model. The faith-based community organizing model began with Alinsky’s work with religious institutions as a source for the people. Alinsky’s work was the foundation which was expanded upon and explored further by Ernesto Cortes Jr., an organizer from San Antonio. (Lundquist, Tulpule, Vang & Pi, 2012). His influence was also seen through the invitations he received to speak and Catholic gatherings from the 1940s to the 1960s. Through these gatherings, he developed many relationships with Catholic leaders, including Jacques Maritain, a philosopher. His influence in the faith-based community organizing model can be seen today through the use of faith-based community organizing models being used today through the IAF; founded by Alinsky is still active today with the national headquarters located in Chicago and serving twenty-one states and three foreign countries (Perazzo, 2008). His efforts with the BYOC resulted in the BYOC becoming known as an “orderly revolution” and Alinsky becoming known as a genius (Engel, 2002). His work gained him national recognition as an organizer. (Engel,