Week 9 Overview

Social Service or Social Change?

Today, most of us associate the work of fighting poverty, or fighting for poor people, with working in non-profits, providing direct services or working to change laws and policies. In this section of the course, we will explore the rise of the non-profit form and the shift from anti-poverty social struggle being imagined as mass struggle to being contained within non-profit organizations. We will look at critiques of charity models emerging, in particular, from feminist and anti-racist social movements. We will also examine alternatives to the typical form followed by poverty-focused legal advocacy organizations.

 

WHAT TO DO BEFORE WE MEET

1. Read:

  • The Revolution Will Not Be Funded (ed. INCITE!):
    Chapter 1: The Political Logic of the Non-Profit Industrial Complex, by Dylan Rodríguez; Chapter 2: In The Shadow of the Shadow State, by Ruth Wilson Gilmore; Chapter 4: Democratizing American Philanthropy, by Christine E. Ahn; Chapter 10: Social Service or Social Change?, by Paul Kivel 
  • Watch the series of short videos that are all on this page Links to an external site..

2. By Tuesday at 11am, post your reading analysis.

 

WHAT WE WILL DO WHEN WE MEET
  • Monday's class time is for your campaign group meeting.
  • Wednesday we will meet to discuss the readings.

 

WHAT TO DO AFTER WE MEET

By Thursday at 9am, post to  a short post answering these questions:

    • What "aha" moments happened for you in class this week regarding these readings?
    • What is the "muddiest point" for you about this week's readings right now?

 

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