Activism, Alliance Building, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center

By (author) Sara DeTurk

Not available to order

Publication date:

20 November 2014

Length of book:

158 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739188651

The longevity of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, Texas, suggests that it is possible for a social change organization to simultaneously address racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, imperialism, environmental justice, and peace—and to succeed. Activism, Alliance Building, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center uses ethnographic research to provide an instructive case study of the importance and challenges of confronting injustice in all of its manifestations. Through building and maintaining alliances, deploying language strategically, and using artistic expression as a central organizing mechanism, The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center demonstrates the power of multi-issue organizing and intersectional/coalitional consciousness. Interweaving artistic programming with its social justice agenda, in particular, offers Esperanza a unique forum for creative and political expression, institutional collaborations, and interpersonal relationships, which promote consciousness raising, mobilization, and social change. This study will appeal to scholars of communication, Chicana feminism, and ethnography.

Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Research Methodology
Chapter 3: Place and Space
Chapter 4: Chicana Feminist Approaches to Social Change
Chapter 5: Languaging
Chapter 6: Story-Centered Organizing
Chapter 7: Esperanza v. City of San Antonio
Chapter 8: Uncompromising Confrontation of Injustice
Chapter 9: Alliances and Coalitions
Chapter 10: Conclusion
Appendixes

DeTurk’s examination of San Antonio’s Esperanza Peace and Justice Center is a powerfully reflexive exploration of how the arts and socio-cultural aesthetics are deeply rooted in the everyday interaction rituals we often fail to consider when studying activism and politics. Her attention to intercultural subtleties informs her theoretical sensitivity and analysis in ways that help not only those attempting to study or work with Latina/os, but all who find themselves engaged in liminal political social spaces of contention.