Feminist community organizing involves members of a geographic locale or social network
coming together to address a shared issue or problem affecting the lives of women in order to find a
collective solution (Dominelli, 1995; Israel, Checkoway, Schulz & Zimmerman, 1994; Selsky, 1991).
While the organizational theory literature has traditionally focused on the exchange of financial and
material resources as the main reason for forming partnerships (Gulati, 1998; Kanter, 1989; Oliver,
1991), a growing body of feminist literature (Acker, 1995; Brown, 1992; Eisenstein, 1995; Feree and
Martin, 1995; Reinelt, 1994) and community development literature (Dominelli, 1995, Israel et al.,
1994; Kretzman & McKnight, 1993; Minkler & Wallerstein, 1997; Selsky, 1991) emphasizes the
importance of other types of resources such as skills, lived experience, knowledge, information and
social networks. In addition, feminist collectivity offers a promising alternative to hierarchy in terms
of valuing and mobilizing the diverse pool of resources brought to a feminist community-based
initiative by participants from varied social locations (Callahan, 1997; Dominelli, 1995; Reinelt,
1994).
The purpose of my study was to investigate participant understandings of the resources they
brought to a feminist community organizing initiative designed to increase the access of women on
low-incomes to community recreation, and how emergent organizational practices affected resource
utilization. A case study analysis of 'Women Organizing Activities for Women' (WOAW) that is
comprised of a diverse group of women on low incomes, community partners, and university-based
researchers was conducted.
The research methods for this project included the analysis data obtained in Interactive
Research Meetings (n=3) with each of the WOAW participant groups to determine individual and
collective resources. Observations of Phase I WOAW meetings (n=9) were recorded using fieldnotes
and verbatim transcripts and served as the data source for examining patterns of resource utilization
given emergent feminist collective organizing practices. Fieldnotes and transcripts were analyzed
using Atlas.ti data computer software.
Participants from the three groups identified over 200 examples of resources they were
bringing to WOAW and described a number of connections between resources, as well as multiple
meanings of single resource types, which differed based on their roles and locations in the
organization. These findings contribute to the literature by linking resource identification in new ways
to the process of resource utilization. The results also contribute to practice by challenging
assumptions about the types of resources brought by different collaborators and by identifying
organizational practices that enhance or inhibit resource utilization. My analysis revealed that there
was ambiguity between participant groups about who was bringing what resources, which led to
assumptions being made about who would take on certain tasks in the group. I also found that while
feminist collective organizing practices enabled participants to name and share resources in an
empowering and respectful environment, that time constraints, ambiguity about roles and participants'
lack of familiarity with the process were challenges to mobilizing available resources.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:BVAU.2429/12728 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Pinnington, Elizabeth |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Relation | UBC Retrospective Theses Digitization Project [http://www.library.ubc.ca/archives/retro_theses/] |
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