Power, Empowerment and Social Change

"A bold and compelling exploration of how power works in the context of today’s social, political and environmental crises – looking beyond the usual political economy and behaviourist lenses – and offering fresh ideas and reflections from activism on how theory and practice can be joined up to strengthen movements for justice and human rights." — Andrea Cornwall, Professor at SOAS, University of London, UK

"Like power itself, ideas about power are contested terrain. This timely collection effectively bridges theory and practice to inform a much-needed rethink of relevant conceptual frameworks, grounded in the authors’ extensive hands-on experience with action-research, popular education and frontline empirical research." — Jonathan Fox, Professor at the Accountability Research Center, American University, USA

"Through a range of chapters, Power, Empowerment and Social change examines the nature and effect of the arbitrary use of power in contemporary democracies. The book draws upon a dialectic of practice and theory that helps dissect and expose the manipulation of democracy by ruling elites. More importantly, the essays acknowledge and illustrate the inherent power and creativity in people’s struggles for justice and equality. Without these principles, there is no future." — Aruna Roy and Nikhil Dey, MKSS (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan), India

"This book is an exciting collection of chapters, which draws together theoretical and empirical work on power. The overall theoretical approach is grounded in a sophisticated understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of power relations. I highly recommend this collection to anyone who wishes to understand the complex relationship between power as domination and power as empowerment. It is ideal for both social scientists and social activists." — Mark Haugaard, Professor at the School of Political Science and Sociology, National University of Ireland, Galway

"This book contains many truly impressive essays – some more theoretical, others more empirical. It makes a significant contribution to live debates about how to understand how power works. It should reveal to readers, including scholars, what an important and distinctive contribution activist researchers can make to revealing the hidden dimension of power relations and also to empowerment, by exploring strategies for successful resistance to domination and oppression across the world." – Steven Lukes. Professor of Sociology, New York University

"The power literature in social and political theory often fails to engage the insights of those who study power relations on the ground and those who organize and act collectively to change them. This important new collection brings theories of power into conversation with empirical research in conflict areas, and with the insights of activists, teachers, and others who work to transform unjust power relations." – Clarissa Rile Hayward, Professor of Political Science, Washington University, St. Louis

"Africa's Agenda 2063 aims at fostering ‘the Africa we want’. Women leaders are minded to hold onto to the liberation ideology of the Pan-Africa movement of the early 20th century. Now confronted with some of the most rabid extremes of inequality and suppression of the rights of women and girls anywhere in world, new thinking and strategies are needed. This book provides empirical learning on how we could view power relations and collective action, in an age of growing opposition from young Africans who are demanding for voice and participation on the continent but are faced with shrinking spaces for transformation." – Nkoyo Toyo, Chairperson of the African Women Leaders Network, Nigeria

"As a feminist grass root organizer, this book confirms my thinking regarding the complexity and challenges faced by those of us who work within the contemporary lived realities of poor women. Unlike many academic outputs, it combines and bridges theory, frameworks and experiences, so is easy to read and understand for practitioners as well as scholars. I strongly recommend it to activists and organizers working at the grassroots, to stimulate their strategic thinking and responses to the difficult situations they work in." – Nani Zulminarni, Founder and Director of PEKKA – Women Headed Family Empowerment, Indonesia