Empowerment as Ceremony

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Social Work, Sociology
Cover of the book Empowerment as Ceremony by William Epstein, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: William Epstein ISBN: 9781351296663
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 28, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: William Epstein
ISBN: 9781351296663
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 28, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Many people in the United States are poor, lead marginal lives, and need jobs as well as basic services such as education, medical care, and housing. Multitudes in other parts of the world, in addition to being poor, are jailed, tortured, and killed for being members of the wrong ethnic group or expressing political opinions. Those who argue for empowerment claim it is a magic bullet. It can liberate the oppressed, largely through self-organization, self-motivation, self-invention, and even self-clarity.

William M. Epstein sees contemporary empowerment practice in the United States as a civic church of national values, one better in performing its ceremonial role than god-based houses of worship. By itself, empowerment is not worth the effort of commentary, since it achieves none of its goals and has not even generated a respectable critical literature. But Epstein argues that empowerment practice and American social welfare both embody prescriptive cultural preferences. Like art and music, empowerment opens windows into deeper social meaning.

The social sciences have carved out roles for themselves by looking for simple remedies, ones that are inexpensive and compatible with contemporary social arrangements. Epstein shows that those in social work practices have not only deluded themselves into thinking that these services have real instrumental value, but really operate at cross-purposes. This accessible work will attract critical attention among these professional groups. It bases its carefully-documented insights upon informed sociological and anthropological theory.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Many people in the United States are poor, lead marginal lives, and need jobs as well as basic services such as education, medical care, and housing. Multitudes in other parts of the world, in addition to being poor, are jailed, tortured, and killed for being members of the wrong ethnic group or expressing political opinions. Those who argue for empowerment claim it is a magic bullet. It can liberate the oppressed, largely through self-organization, self-motivation, self-invention, and even self-clarity.

William M. Epstein sees contemporary empowerment practice in the United States as a civic church of national values, one better in performing its ceremonial role than god-based houses of worship. By itself, empowerment is not worth the effort of commentary, since it achieves none of its goals and has not even generated a respectable critical literature. But Epstein argues that empowerment practice and American social welfare both embody prescriptive cultural preferences. Like art and music, empowerment opens windows into deeper social meaning.

The social sciences have carved out roles for themselves by looking for simple remedies, ones that are inexpensive and compatible with contemporary social arrangements. Epstein shows that those in social work practices have not only deluded themselves into thinking that these services have real instrumental value, but really operate at cross-purposes. This accessible work will attract critical attention among these professional groups. It bases its carefully-documented insights upon informed sociological and anthropological theory.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Working One-to-One with Students by William Epstein
Cover of the book The Atomistic Congress: Interpretation of Congressional Change by William Epstein
Cover of the book Cultural Forms of Protest in Russia by William Epstein
Cover of the book Issues in Medical Law and Ethics by William Epstein
Cover of the book Exchange and Power in Social Life by William Epstein
Cover of the book A Brief History of Pharmacy by William Epstein
Cover of the book The Life of Muhammad by William Epstein
Cover of the book The Therapeutic Relationship in Systemic Therapy by William Epstein
Cover of the book History of Psychology by William Epstein
Cover of the book Families and Communities Responding to AIDS by William Epstein
Cover of the book The Flawed Foundations of General Equilibrium Theory by William Epstein
Cover of the book Malay Fishermen by William Epstein
Cover of the book Participatory Research in More-than-Human Worlds by William Epstein
Cover of the book A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes by William Epstein
Cover of the book The Economic Development of Canada by William Epstein
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy