Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Panel
Session Title
Community Voices: Shared Governance and Dialogue to Challenge Hidden Assumptions and Disrupt Power Structures in Appalachia
Session Abstract or Summary
Community Voices (CV) is a community-university partnership sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, with a mission to explore paradigms of community and social change. CV hosts open forums for dialogue with community members, engaging leaders to share stories and insights about their approaches to community development. In CV discussions, speakers often highlight social dynamics they address in their work, such as a “low collective self-esteem” (Hinshelwood, 2013) in response to negative stereotypes in (in this case) the Appalachian region. In the meantime, popular writers from the region have recently stressed the “avoidance and wishful thinking” (Vance, 2016, p. 20) of Appalachia’s residents. These insights, though anecdotal, portray a lack of power that, when viewed in light of Gaventa’s (1982) theories of power and powerlessness in Appalachia, echo that author’s third-dimension of powerlessness, in which ideologies are shaped by the influences of powerful people, and the inertia of those constructs maintains the status quo. However, as McMichael (2012) addressed in a CV forum, participatory governance, which involves mutual engagement and social learning, has the potential to shift paradigms and transform dominant frames. The CV forums, through illuminating and examining often hidden assumptions and ideologies, possess the potential to break such patterns of third-dimension powerlessness. In this panel, we consider Gaventa’s theories on quiescence, and examine how deep engagement on community change issues, such as those promoted in CV discussions, can effectively disrupt the pattern of consciousness influence, setting the stage for epistemic consciousness and potential change.
Presentation #1 Title
Community Voices: Shared Governance and Dialogue to Challenge Hidden Assumptions and Disrupt Power Structures in Appalachia
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Community Voices (CV) is a community-university partnership sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, with a mission to explore paradigms of community and social change. CV hosts open forums for dialogue with community members, engaging leaders to share stories and insights about their approaches to community development. In CV discussions, speakers often highlight social dynamics they address in their work, such as a “low collective self-esteem” (Hinshelwood, 2013) in response to negative stereotypes in (in this case) the Appalachian region. In the meantime, popular writers from the region have recently stressed the “avoidance and wishful thinking” (Vance, 2016, p. 20) of Appalachia’s residents. These insights, though anecdotal, portray a lack of power that, when viewed in light of Gaventa’s (1982) theories of power and powerlessness in Appalachia, echo that author’s third-dimension of powerlessness, in which ideologies are shaped by the influences of powerful people, and the inertia of those constructs maintains the status quo. However, as McMichael (2012) addressed in a CV forum, participatory governance, which involves mutual engagement and social learning, has the potential to shift paradigms and transform dominant frames. The CV forums, through illuminating and examining often hidden assumptions and ideologies, possess the potential to break such patterns of third-dimension powerlessness. In this panel, we consider Gaventa’s theories on quiescence, and examine how deep engagement on community change issues, such as those promoted in CV discussions, can effectively disrupt the pattern of consciousness influence, setting the stage for epistemic consciousness and potential change.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Max Stephenson Jr. currently serves as Professor of Public and International Affairs and Director of Virginia Tech’s Institute for Policy and Governance in the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs. He also leads the Community Voices group. His experience with community work, public planning efforts and nonprofit organization governance informs his research, which addresses humanitarian and refugee relief, public policy and policy theory, peacebuilding, international development and democratization.
Presentation #2 Title
Community Voices: Shared Governance and Dialogue to Challenge Hidden Assumptions and Disrupt Power Structures in Appalachia
Presentation #2 Abstract or Summary
Community Voices (CV) is a community-university partnership sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, with a mission to explore paradigms of community and social change. CV hosts open forums for dialogue with community members, engaging leaders to share stories and insights about their approaches to community development. In CV discussions, speakers often highlight social dynamics they address in their work, such as a “low collective self-esteem” (Hinshelwood, 2013) in response to negative stereotypes in (in this case) the Appalachian region. In the meantime, popular writers from the region have recently stressed the “avoidance and wishful thinking” (Vance, 2016, p. 20) of Appalachia’s residents. These insights, though anecdotal, portray a lack of power that, when viewed in light of Gaventa’s (1982) theories of power and powerlessness in Appalachia, echo that author’s third-dimension of powerlessness, in which ideologies are shaped by the influences of powerful people, and the inertia of those constructs maintains the status quo. However, as McMichael (2012) addressed in a CV forum, participatory governance, which involves mutual engagement and social learning, has the potential to shift paradigms and transform dominant frames. The CV forums, through illuminating and examining often hidden assumptions and ideologies, possess the potential to break such patterns of third-dimension powerlessness. In this panel, we consider Gaventa’s theories on quiescence, and examine how deep engagement on community change issues, such as those promoted in CV discussions, can effectively disrupt the pattern of consciousness influence, setting the stage for epistemic consciousness and potential change.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #2
Lorien MacAuley has worked in Virginia and West Virginia on programming and evaluation in community food, environmental education, public recreation facilities, and community gardening. She is now a PhD candidate for Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. Her research interests center around agricultural education and extension, community viability, community development programming/planning, alternative agrifood movements, food ethics, performative food practices, and knowledge politics. Her dissertation focuses on on-farm apprenticeships as they relate to alternative agrifood movements.
Presentation #3 Title
Community Voices: Shared Governance and Dialogue to Challenge Hidden Assumptions and Disrupt Power Structures in Appalachia
Presentation #3 Abstract or Summary
Community Voices (CV) is a community-university partnership sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, with a mission to explore paradigms of community and social change. CV hosts open forums for dialogue with community members, engaging leaders to share stories and insights about their approaches to community development. In CV discussions, speakers often highlight social dynamics they address in their work, such as a “low collective self-esteem” (Hinshelwood, 2013) in response to negative stereotypes in (in this case) the Appalachian region. In the meantime, popular writers from the region have recently stressed the “avoidance and wishful thinking” (Vance, 2016, p. 20) of Appalachia’s residents. These insights, though anecdotal, portray a lack of power that, when viewed in light of Gaventa’s (1982) theories of power and powerlessness in Appalachia, echo that author’s third-dimension of powerlessness, in which ideologies are shaped by the influences of powerful people, and the inertia of those constructs maintains the status quo. However, as McMichael (2012) addressed in a CV forum, participatory governance, which involves mutual engagement and social learning, has the potential to shift paradigms and transform dominant frames. The CV forums, through illuminating and examining often hidden assumptions and ideologies, possess the potential to break such patterns of third-dimension powerlessness. In this panel, we consider Gaventa’s theories on quiescence, and examine how deep engagement on community change issues, such as those promoted in CV discussions, can effectively disrupt the pattern of consciousness influence, setting the stage for epistemic consciousness and potential change.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #3
Anna Erwin is a PhD candidate in the Virginia Tech School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). After conducting community work on environmental initiatives out of Boone, NC, she now focuses her research on questions of labor, global justice, participation, and the alternative agrifood movement. For her dissertation, she is conducting a case study using ethnographic methods of a participatory project conducted with a faith-based organization that serves farmworkers in North Carolina.
Presentation #4 Title
Community Voices: Shared Governance and Dialogue to Challenge Hidden Assumptions and Disrupt Power Structures in Appalachia
Presentation #4 Abstract or Summary
Community Voices (CV) is a community-university partnership sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, with a mission to explore paradigms of community and social change. CV hosts open forums for dialogue with community members, engaging leaders to share stories and insights about their approaches to community development. In CV discussions, speakers often highlight social dynamics they address in their work, such as a “low collective self-esteem” (Hinshelwood, 2013) in response to negative stereotypes in (in this case) the Appalachian region. In the meantime, popular writers from the region have recently stressed the “avoidance and wishful thinking” (Vance, 2016, p. 20) of Appalachia’s residents. These insights, though anecdotal, portray a lack of power that, when viewed in light of Gaventa’s (1982) theories of power and powerlessness in Appalachia, echo that author’s third-dimension of powerlessness, in which ideologies are shaped by the influences of powerful people, and the inertia of those constructs maintains the status quo. However, as McMichael (2012) addressed in a CV forum, participatory governance, which involves mutual engagement and social learning, has the potential to shift paradigms and transform dominant frames. The CV forums, through illuminating and examining often hidden assumptions and ideologies, possess the potential to break such patterns of third-dimension powerlessness. In this panel, we consider Gaventa’s theories on quiescence, and examine how deep engagement on community change issues, such as those promoted in CV discussions, can effectively disrupt the pattern of consciousness influence, setting the stage for epistemic consciousness and potential change.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #4
Jeremy Elliott-Engel was a Regional 4-H Youth Development Specialist with University Missouri Extension in rural Southwest Missouri and is now a current PhD student at Virginia Tech. He worked with adult volunteers, community councils and youth to develop skills and organizational capacity. While with Extension he helped his Extension Council to launch a capital campaign and helped youth organize to promote health, reduce hunger, engage immigrants and refugees, and increase use of community gardens.
Community Voices: Shared Governance and Dialogue to Challenge Hidden Assumptions and Disrupt Power Structures in Appalachia
Community Voices (CV) is a community-university partnership sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Governance at Virginia Tech, with a mission to explore paradigms of community and social change. CV hosts open forums for dialogue with community members, engaging leaders to share stories and insights about their approaches to community development. In CV discussions, speakers often highlight social dynamics they address in their work, such as a “low collective self-esteem” (Hinshelwood, 2013) in response to negative stereotypes in (in this case) the Appalachian region. In the meantime, popular writers from the region have recently stressed the “avoidance and wishful thinking” (Vance, 2016, p. 20) of Appalachia’s residents. These insights, though anecdotal, portray a lack of power that, when viewed in light of Gaventa’s (1982) theories of power and powerlessness in Appalachia, echo that author’s third-dimension of powerlessness, in which ideologies are shaped by the influences of powerful people, and the inertia of those constructs maintains the status quo. However, as McMichael (2012) addressed in a CV forum, participatory governance, which involves mutual engagement and social learning, has the potential to shift paradigms and transform dominant frames. The CV forums, through illuminating and examining often hidden assumptions and ideologies, possess the potential to break such patterns of third-dimension powerlessness. In this panel, we consider Gaventa’s theories on quiescence, and examine how deep engagement on community change issues, such as those promoted in CV discussions, can effectively disrupt the pattern of consciousness influence, setting the stage for epistemic consciousness and potential change.
