Marci R. Culley

Searching for Feminism: An Analysis of Community Psychology Literature Relevant to Women's Concerns

Articles published in both the American Journal of Community Psychology and Journal of Community Psychology, from their inception in 1973 through 1997, were content analyzed for women relevance, diversity, feminism, and historical change. Overall, 9.8% of the articles reviewed (

Environmental and Contextual Influences on School Violence and its Prevention

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Nuclear Power: Renaissance or Relapse? Global Climate Change and Long-Term Three Mile Island Activists’ Narratives

N = 2,178) were considered women relevant, 4% recognized diversity among women, and 3% were considered feminist. There was an average yearly increase in women-relevant and feminist articles from 7.3 pre-1990 to 11.2 post-1990, and 1.6 pre-1990 to 4.6 post-1990, respectively. Overall, mental health and motherhood were the most addressed content areas. Among feminist articles, gender roles and violence against women were most salient. Race and SES were the most noted issues of diversity in both women-relevant and feminist articles. While an increase in feminist publications by both journals is promising, stereotypes of women and other oppressed groups continue to be perpetuated.

Participation, Power, and the Role of Community Psychology in Environmental Disputes: A Tale of Two Nuclear Cities

School violence has received unprecedented attention in recent years, particularly since the infamous events unfolded in Littleton, Colorado at Columbine High School. For many Americans, such events were not imagined possible while for others, they confirmed the need for urgent and careful examination of the nature and scope of school violence. It appears, however, that school violence research has been relegated to the individual level of analysis. In this introduction to the special issue about the environmental and contextual factors related to school violence, the authors examine what we know about school violence, how school violence has been addressed, and argue that environmental factors must be part of research and intervention in this area. Finally, the contributions of the articles included in this special issue are discussed.

History and Theory of Community Psychology: An International Perspective of Community Psychology in the United States: Returning to Political, Critical and Ecological Roots

Community narratives are increasingly important as people move towards an ecologically sustainable society. Global climate change is a multi-faceted problem with multiple stakeholders. The voices of affected communities must be heard as we make decisions of global significance. We document the narratives of long-term anti-nuclear activists near the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant who speak out in the dawn of a nuclear renaissance/relapse. While nuclear power is marketed as a “green” solution to global warming, their narratives reveal three areas for consideration; (1) significant problems with nuclear technology, (2) lessons “not” learned from the TMI disaster, and (3) hopes for a sustainable future. Nuclear waste, untrustworthy officials and economic issues were among the problems cited. Deceptive shaping of public opinion, nuclear illiteracy, and an aging anti-nuclear movement were reasons cited for the lessons not learned. However, many remain optimistic and envision increased participation to create an ecologically-balanced world.

Power and public participation in a hazardous waste dispute: a community case study.

This paper examines public participation and the role of community psychology in an emerging environmental dispute relevant to global climate change (GCC)—whether nuclear power represents a “green” solution. From a dialectical position, we explore the nuclear debate as it is linked to GCC, and more specifically, how participation in related federally-mandated processes may be shaped by power. We present qualitative data from public meetings in two nuclear communities and analyze these data through a lens of social power and environmental justice, including an examination of nukespeak and telepolitical appeals to highlight the complexity of the issues, how the appearance of successful participation may be deceptive, and how consensus may be manipulated. We argue that CP should consider GCC to be one of the most significant social problems of our time and make every effort to be involved in the search for truly “green” solutions.

Enhanced Learning and Retention Through “Writing to Learn” in the Psychology Classroom

In this chapter, we explore the historical roots of community psychology in the United States from a critical feminist perspective. We discuss how unique historical and sociopolitical contexts contributed to the development of the field as well as its fundamental theories and concepts. Our feminist critique of the field illustrates how these contexts contributed to what can be described as largely Angloand androcentric scholarship, suggesting an ongoing struggle with tensions between stated values and actual research and practice. Despite this, we argue that an organic, ever present tendency to distinguish its identity through critique has allowed the field, and those of us who work within it, to move toward better representation of our stated goals and values. We contend that the field would be well-served by a return to its critical, ecological roots via explicit and intentional analyses of social power at multiple levels. Acknowledging the field’s roots in white, male power and privilege is one way to facilitate discourse from the margins and to remain forever critical in our growth and development in ways that honor the community psychology’s stated value of social justice.