Mark R. Warren is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, and Director of the Service
Learning Program, at Fordham University.
Review
"Warren has produced something unusual in democratic theory: a masterful combination of theory and observation
that is original, readable, and important. It deserves a spot on the shelf of every student of democracy."
--Choice
"Warren has done a great service with his careful fieldwork, ample documentation and nicely written reporting.
A fine introduction to what I , like Warren, believe to be an extremely important and promising social movement."
--Mary Jo Bane, America
"Warren has done a great service with his careful fieldwork, ample documentation and nicely written reporting.
A fine introduction to what I , like Warren, believe to be an extremely important and promising social movement."
--Mary Jo Bane, America
Princeton University Press Web Site, May, 2002
Summary
Dry Bones Rattling offers the first in-depth treatment of how to rebuild the social capital of America's communities
while promoting racially inclusive, democratic participation. The Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) network in
Texas and the Southwest is gaining national attention as a model for reviving democratic life in the inner city--and
beyond. This richly drawn study shows how the IAF network works with religious congregations and other community-based
institutions to cultivate the participation and leadership of Americans most left out of our elite-centered politics.
Interfaith leaders from poor communities of color collaborate with those from more affluent communities to build
organizations with the power to construct affordable housing, create job-training programs, improve schools, expand
public services, and increase neighborhood safety.
In clear and accessible prose, Mark Warren argues that the key to revitalizing democracy lies in connecting politics
to community institutions and the values that sustain them. By doing so, the IAF network builds an organized, multiracial
constituency with the power to advance desperately needed social policies. While Americans are most aware of the
religious right, Warren documents the growth of progressive faith-based politics in America. He offers a realistic
yet hopeful account of how this rising trend can transform the lives of people in our most troubled neighborhoods.
Drawing upon six years of original fieldwork, Dry Bones Rattling proposes new answers to the problems of American
democracy, community life, race relations, and the urban crisis.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: Dry Bones Rattling
1. Cimmunity Building and Political Renewal
2. A Theology of Organizing: From Alinsky to the Moden IAF
3. Beyond Local Organizing: Statewide Power and a Regional Network
4. Bridging Communities across Racial Lines
5. Deepening Multiracial Collaboration
6. Effective Power: Campaigning for Community-Based Policy Initiatives
7. Congretional Bases for Political Action
8. Leadership Development: Participation and Authority in Consensual Democracies
9. Conclusion: Restoring Faith in Politics
Notes
Index
