Books by Peter Westoby

"Without soul there will be little chance of sustained social change." Current expressions of community work have often been dry, technical, mechanistic processes. If people are to recover their deep longings and aspirations within community, then community change processes need to work in a soul dimension, with the delights, hopes, myths and visions of those involved. Seasoned community work thinker and practitioner, Peter Westoby, explores the role of soul within community work, as a methodology that can contribute to social change. He connects his framework of ideas and concepts, with a set of practices that can unlock this awareness and celebration of the soul element.

Written in dialogue with eight practitioner-scholars from around the world, this book suggests a fresh terrain for community work and social change theorising.

By examining community development stories as experienced on the ground, Westoby is able to show how the poor are organising themselves using various forms of community development as well as demonstrating how the state and non-state actors are attempting to organise, engage or accompany the poor through community development.