Community Work or Social Change?

Since its original publication, Community Work or Social Change? has been widely used by community workers and in social work, social welfare and community work courses throughout Australia.

The issues that confront community workers in the 1990s are in many ways similar to those that confronted workers in the 1980s. Both times are marked by a continuous erosion of welfare services and programmes.

Most contributors share a commitment for reaching social change and their contributions serve as a useful guide in struggling towards social change aimed at a more just and equitable society.

Overall, Community Work or Social Change? An Australian Perspective is a valuable contribution to the literature. Australian readers, especially those practising, teaching or studying community work or engaged in social action, will find the book of most value. There is a dearth of Australian material covering major issues both theoretically and practically, such as this book provides. Its scope is sufficiently broad in the case studies and thematic chapters to be nationally useful. For readers elsewhere the book provides a stimulating contribution to the debate on community work as a force for social change, particularly in the areas of ethnicity and union activity. -Nancy Gumprecht, Head, School of Social Work Tasmanian State Institute of Technology

Given the paucity of Australian community work literature, this book is a welcome arrival. The editors' intention is to provide students and practitioners with a series of case studies in community action which reflect the dynamics of the Australian context. In total this book is an important contribution to understanding how community work is actually done. For this reason alone it will prove most useful in social work education and community work training courses. -Bob Pease, School of Social Work.