Article Reviews

Article Reviews

Article 1 - Ethical Issues and Practical Dilemmas in Community Organization and Community Participation

The article under consideration is Ethical Issues and Practical Dilemmas in Community Organization and Community Participation and was written by Meredith Minkler and Cheri Pies and published as Chapter 7 of Ethical Issues and Practical Dilemmas (Minkler & Pies, 2005). The article presents an in depth exploration of the role and relevance of conflicting loyalties, dilemmas that crop up as a result of funding sources, types of community participation and the intricacies of confronting racism. In addition, the authors also give thorough consideration to the relevance of the unexpected outcomes of organization and the complexities that come forth as a result of differing approaches to the common good.

The authors begin by highlighting the relevance of social planning and proceed through the introduction by shedding light on the relevance of ethical dilemmas in public health practices. The authors are clearly driven by a desire to present a concrete and comprehensive detailing of the obstacles and challenges that are present in the provision of community organization (Minkler & Pies, 2005). It merits consideration that the authors align their article specifically with the perspective that is relevant for the health educator and other practitioners in the field of community health services.

In the area of conflicting loyalties, the authors explain the role of loyalty to community service and the paradoxical scenarios that can generate as a result of conflicting loyalties. The authors substantiate their arguments by presenting examples of cases that are plausible and can be expected to be present in the typical everyday neighborhood (Minkler & Pies, 2005). The authors use the approach of pushing the reader into a corner until there is no other option left for the reader but to develop a frame of mind in which the ethical challenges of community service are realized and resolved through concrete measures. In this regard, it is fair to state that the authors have managed to do justice to their objective of highlighting the ethical issues and practical dilemmas in community organization and community participation.

Article 2 - Community Organizing: Conflict and Consensus

The article under consideration is the chapter Community Organizing: Conflict and Consensus in Mike Eichler's book: Consensus Organizing (Eichler, 2007). In this article (which the first chapter of the author's book), the author gives consideration to the different approaches and methods to community organization. In order to do so adequately, the author gives crucial consideration to the example of Saul Alinsky and presents Saul Alinsky as a mentor to future community organizers. The author then proceeds to give consideration to the different potential sources of conflict that can create a hurdle in the development of social consensus. As the article comes to a close, the author points his guns towards the reader and highlights how the distinct personality of each unique influence his/her approach to community organization.

The author begins by attempting to discourage the use of stereotypical approaches towards community organizers and community organization in ...