Jennifer Hauver James

Feminism and Community Engagement: An Overview

In this chapter, we provide a closer examination of feminism and its relevance and application to community engagement (CE). Feminism is not new to CE. The “disciplining” of feminism (Butin, 2010) in the academy, having taken root in women’s studies, actually preceded the CE movement (Costa & Leong, 2012b). That feminist work has, over time, only occasionally intersected with scholarly conversations of CE speaks to the deep suspicion many feminists hold of the charitable orientation of most CE work (Naples & Bojar, 2002). To date, feminist approaches to and conversations about CE have remained largely within the field of women’s studies where political action is a shared aim. In this volume, we ask the question, “What might be gained by bringing a feminist lens to the work of CE?” Our aim is to move this feminist perspective beyond the disciplinary bounds of women’s studies and illustrate the transformative potential for merging feminist theory with social action (Bubriski & Semaan, 2009).

Songs of citizenship: The use of music in the classroom

Music can be introduced into the curriculum as a means to offer students alternative ways to engage content and express their understanding. Beyond being a curricular tool, however, we believe that music, as a form of media, is itself something to be thoughtfully considered for the messages it conveys and the ways it is used by individuals and groups of people to promote or protest particular ideas (Clay, 2006; Stovall, 2006).

Autobiographical Inquiry, Teacher Education, and (the Possibility of) Social Justice

(2007). Autobiographical Inquiry, Teacher Education, and (the Possibility of) Social Justice. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy: Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 161-175.

Conclusions: Re-visioning Community Engagement as Feminist Praxis

We began this volume by asking the question, “What might be gained by bringing a feminist lens to the work of community engagement?” Though action is central to feminist thought and practice, many feminist pedagogues have resisted aligning themselves with the discourses of community engagement. Why? Because, as Westheimer and Kahne (2004) assert, the vast majority of classroom-based community engagement efforts have as their aim charity-oriented service that reinforces the notion of engagement as “feel good” participation. Students participate in book drives, they tutor “under privileged” children, they collect trash along the side of the road, they may even lend their skills to refurbish homes for Habitat for Humanity. But once the service is complete, as Poppendieck (1999) notes, the volunteer rests comfortably in her familiar space, she is affirmed of her “goodness” for having given herself to the less fortunate, and the underlying social issues remain untouched. The student who says (upon completing her shift at the soup kitchen) that she hopes her grandchildren will someday have an equally rewarding opportunity to serve their community, emphasizes the benefits of service for herself. But if the issue of hunger were addressed in her community and her grandchildren were denied the opportunity to serve soup at the local shelter, would that not be better? Volunteer work plays an important role in society toward attending to the symptoms of social ills, but many feminists argue that being truly engaged with one’s community demands attention to the causes of those ills.

Teacher Education: Tales from the Crossroads

Sonia Nieto is Professor Emerita of Language, Literacy, and Culture, School of Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A teacher and teacher educator for 40 years, her scholarship has focused on multicultural education, the education of Latinos and other students of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and teacher education. She has written extensively on these issues in numerous journals. Her books include Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education (Longman, 4th ed., 2004), What Keeps Teachers Going? (2003), and the edited volumes Puerto Rican Students in U.S. Schools (Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000), and Why We Teach (Teachers College Press, 2005).