Soul, Community and Social Change ─ Theorising a Soul Perspective on Community Practice

At a time when inequalities are growing globally, when the pace of socio-economic transitions is rapid, and when traditional ties of community are under threat of dissolving, 'soul' offers a new way of thinking imaginatively about how people might respond both individually and collectively in social change work. In exploring ideas such as soul, soulful, 'soul of the world' and soul-force, Peter Westoby invites readers to disrupt their taken-for-granted assumptions about community practice and to foreground ethics, quality, being and the aesthetic. Drawing on work of people such as James Hillman, Thomas Moore and 'Bifo' Beradi, he insists on the need to bring more depth into practice, eschewing contemporary trends of soulless analysis, measuring, and technique. Written in dialogue with eight practitioner-scholars from around the world, the book suggests a fresh terrain for community work and social change theorising. Illustrated by images of Australian cartoonist-prophet Michael Leunig, the book also promises to unlock new imaginative spaces for dreaming. A soul perspective will resonate with people searching for both a robust socio-political response to the world and an imaginative, poetic and mindful centring of self, 'other' and the planet to their practice.

Dr Peter Westoby is a Senior Lecturer in Community Development, School of Social Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia; a Research Associate at the Centre for Development Support, University of the Free State, South Africa; and also a Director of Community Praxis Cooperative. Peter has over 25 years of experience in youth, community and organisational development in various settings, such as Australia, South Africa, Uganda, Vanuatu, the Philippines and PNG. His research interests include community development, dialogue theory and practice, and forced migration studies. Together with Lynda Shevellar he edited Learning and Mobilising for Community Development (Ashgate, 2012) and he is the author of Theorising the Practice of Community Development (Ashgate, 2014).