Mobilizing Communities for Social Change: Integrating Mindfulness and Passionate Politics
Mindfulness and Social Work June 1, 2009 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9781933478609.003.0011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that mindfulness practices can aid community organizing by helping activists engage with emotions, listen to one another, and sustain change, and that understanding how interior lives shape external worlds can enhance the transformative potential of progressive social action. |
Abstract
Abstract Laura Pulido (2003) suggests that political action is not just about changing the external world but is also an ‘‘exercise in creating and changing ourselves’’ (p. 51). For Pulido, the interior includes ‘‘such things as our emotions, psychological development, souls and passions, as well as our minds’’ (47). In this chapter I explore the ways that mindfulness practices can be useful in mobilizing community members and sustaining community change. In particular, I will explore what these practices offer for communities that are negotiating passionate emotions and are attempting to engage others in their activities, and that want to enhance people’s ability to listen to each other and want to create sustainable change. Through this integration, I will articulate the possibilities for progressive social change that can be enhanced and sustained by an understanding of how our interior lives shape our external worlds and the possibilities that mindfulness practices have for increasing the transformative potential of this interaction.