ABSTRACT

The practice of professional community organizing aims to create a more equitable, inclusive society. However, power-based community organizing in the Alinsky tradition has historically been criticized for being unwelcoming to women, especially those who are caregivers at home. To better understand the paradox of working for social justice within an occupational context where one is not fully welcome, this exploratory interview-based study used an Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to explore how women organizers understand, experience, and navigate gendered features of new public management within power-based community organizations in Chicago. Our findings indicate that women community organizers experience significant tensions due to professional demands and a culture of overwork that is incompatible with caregiving responsibilities. Nonetheless, practices of building authentic relationships, engaging in trauma-informed practices, and taking time for rest and reflection–practices that are not always consistent with neoliberal pressures to “produce” – brought them hope and meaning. Though organizing can be plagued by a sense of urgency, slowing down can be a political act of inclusion.

摘要

专业社区组织的实践旨在创造一个更加公平、包容的社会。然而，阿林斯基传统中以权力为基础的社区组织历来被批评为不欢迎女性，尤其是那些在家照顾家庭的女性。为了更好地理解在一个不受欢迎的职业环境中为社会正义而工作的悖论，这项基于访谈的探索性研究使用解释性现象学分析来探索女性组织者如何理解、体验和驾驭新公共管理中的性别特征芝加哥以权力为基础的社区组织。我们的研究结果表明，女性社区组织者由于职业需求和与照顾责任不相容的过度劳累文化而承受着巨大的压力。尽管如此，建立真实关系、参与创伤知情实践以及花时间休息和反思的实践——这些实践并不总是符合新自由主义“生产”的压力——给他们带来了希望和意义。尽管组织可能会受到紧迫感的困扰，但放慢速度可能是一种包容的政治行为。