Paul Bunyan

Edge Hill University, Social Sciences, Faculty Member

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Papers by Paul Bunyan

Broad-based community organising in the UK: Re-imagining politics through the prism of civil society

The study examines the emergence of broad-based community organising in the UK and how it informs... more The study examines the emergence of broad-based community organising in the UK and how it informs understanding of civil society and its capacity to effect social and political change. The thesis can be stated simply as follows: Broad-based community organising represents a new and distinct form of civil society-driven politics in the UK, building the power of civil society organisations to more effectively engage in public life to effect social and political change. Deserving of special attention, it is argued, are those civil society organisations which develop sufficient power and legitimacy to act politically in the public sphere, both in contesting and holding the state and market to account and in pushing the boundaries of civility and social justice. Employing a critical social theory paradigm, broad-based community organising is understood as a distinctive political methodology, ontologically rooted in civil society and epistemologically based upon the central concept of pow...

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Civil Society, the left and community organising: Towards a progressive politics

Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks, Dec 30, 2013

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The framing of ‘Fairness’ in contesting neo-liberal austerity

Local Economy, May 26, 2016

format_quoteFairness is termed an 'empty signifier' that can be politically manipulated by various factions, complicating its value.format_quote

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Re-conceptualizing Civil Society: Towards a Radical Understanding

Voluntas, Feb 12, 2013

The article examines problematic aspects of contemporary theoretical thinking about civil society... more The article examines problematic aspects of contemporary theoretical thinking about civil society within a Western liberal-democratic context. The impact of neo-liberalism upon narratives of civil society, the assumption that civility resides more conspicuously within the world of associational life, and the tendency to conflate ‘civil society’ with the ‘third sector’ are areas critically discussed. Such conceptual incongruities, it is argued, obscure the path to a more radical theoretical understanding of civil society. In the second part of the article an alternative model of civil society is proposed. Supporting Evers premise that ‘every attempt to narrow down civil society to the third sector seriously impoverishes the very concept of civil society’ (Evers, Voluntary Sector Review 1:116, 2010), it is argued that civil society is best understood as a normative political concept, as being contingent in nature and distinct from the third sector.RésuméCet article examine les aspects problématiques de la pensée théorique contemporaine sur la société civile dans un contexte démocratique et libéral occidental. Nous discutons de façon critique l’impact du néo-libéralisme sur les représentations de la société civile, l’idée selon laquelle la civilité serait plus manifeste dans le monde de la vie associative, et la tendance à confondre « société civile » et « secteur tiers » . De telles incongruités conceptuelles, avançons-nous, obscurcissent la voie vers une compréhension théorique plus radicale de la société civile. Un modèle alternatif de la société civile est proposé en seconde partie de l’article. En soutenant la prémisse d’Evers selon laquelle « toute tentative de réduire la société civile au secteur tiers appauvrit sérieusement la notion même de société civile » (Evers 2010, p. 116), nous avançons que la société civile est mieux comprise comme un concept normatif politique, comme étant contingente par nature et distincte du secteur tiers.ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag untersucht die problematischen Aspekte der gegenwärtigen theoretischen Denkansätze zur Bürgergesellschaft in einem westlichen, liberalen demokratischen Kontext. Der Einfluss des Neoliberalismus auf die Narrationen der Bürgergesellschaft, die Annahme, dass die Bürgerlichkeit im Vereinsleben deutlicher präsent ist und die Tendenz, die „Bürgergesellschaft“mit dem „Dritten Sektor“zu verschmelzen sind kritisch betrachtete Themen. So wird behauptet, dass derartige begriffliche Unvereinbarkeiten den Weg zu einem radikaleren theroretischen Verständnis der Bürgergesellschaft verfinstern. Im zweiten Teil des Beitrags wird ein alternatives Bürgergesellschaftsmodell vorgeschlagen. In Anlehnung an die von Evers aufgestellte Voraussetzung, dass „ein jeder Versuch, die Bürgergesellschaft auf den Dritten Sektor zu beschränken, eben das wesentliche Konzept der Bürgergesellschaft äußerst stark schwächt“(Evers 2010, S. 116) wird die Ansicht vertreten, dass die Bürgergesellschaft am besten als ein normatives politisches Konzept verstanden werden sollte, das in seiner Natur bedingt ist und sich vom Dritten Sektor unterscheidet.ResumenEl artículo examina aspectos problemáticos del pensamiento teórico contemporáneo sobre la sociedad civil en un contexto democrático liberal occidental. El impacto del neoliberalismo sobre las narrativas de la sociedad civil, la suposición de que el civismo reside más conspicuamente dentro del mundo de la vida asociativa, y la tendencia a mezclar la “sociedad civil” con el “tercer sector” son áreas debatidas de forma crítica. Dichas incongruencias conceptuales, se argumenta, oscurecen el camino hacia una comprensión teórica más radical de la sociedad civil. En la segunda parte del artículo, se propone un modelo alternativo de sociedad civil. Apoyando la premisa de Evers de que “cada intento de reducir la sociedad civil al tercer sector empobrece seriamente el propio concepto de sociedad civil” (Evers 2010, p. 116), se argumenta que la sociedad civil se comprende mejor como un concepto político normativo, como dependiente en naturaleza y diferente del tercer sector.摘要本文调查在西方自由民主背景下,公民社会现代理论思维存在的相关误区。本文批判新自由主义对公民社会的影响、社团生活领域中的文明更为明显这一假设,以及将“公民社会”与“第三部门”合并的趋势。本文认为,这种概念上的不一致使人们无法对公民社会获得更深入的理论理解。本文的第二部门提出了公民社会的替代模型。Evers 提出,“每一次将公民社会压缩至第三部门的尝试严重掏空了公民社会的概念”(Evers,2010年,第116页),为支持这一假设,本文认为,将公民社会视为一个标准的政治概念是最佳的理解方式,因为公民社会具有偶发性且不同于第三部门。.要約本論文では、西洋の自由民主的な風潮における市民社会での現代の理論的思考に関する多くの問題点を調査する。市民社会における新自由主義の影響、組織の継続期間の中には礼節さが内在するという仮定、「’第三セクター」とともに「市民社会」を融合する傾向は、批判的に議論されている領域である。そのような概念的な不一致は、市民社会における根本的な理論上の理解への経路をあいまいにしていると議論されている。本論文の第二部では、市民社会における代替モデルを提案する。エバーズ(Evers)による「市民社会を第三セクターに限定するためのあらゆる試みは市民社会をまさしく貧困にする」という前提(Evers、2010、p. 116)に基づいて、市民社会は第三セクターと異なり、本来標準の政治理念として特に理解されていることを主張する。.ملخصيتناول هذا المقال بالدراسة الجوانب الصعب حلها للتفكير النظري المعاصر حول المجتمع المدني ضمن الديمقراطية الليبرالية الغربية. أثر الليبرالية الجديدة على السرد من المجتمع المدني، الإفتراض أن التحضر يقيم بشكل أكثروضوح في عالم حياة الجمعيات، والميل إلى خلط ‘المجتمع…

Civil Society: Towards a Radical Understanding

Presentation delivered at 12th Regeneration Management Research Network, Coventry University, Jul... more

The role of civil society in reducing poverty and inequality: A case study of the living wage campaign in the UK

Local Economy, May 3, 2016

The introduction of the national minimum wage at the end of the 1990s in the UK represented an im... more The introduction of the national minimum wage at the end of the 1990s in the UK represented an important intervention by the then New Labour government but it has remained too low to effectively address increasing levels of in-work poverty and inequality. This article traces the development of the living wage campaign, initiated and led by Citizens UK and its main affiliate London Citizens from 2001 onwards and what it has to say about the role and potential of civil society in addressing issues of poverty and inequality.

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Teacher supply in Cumbria: the contribution of teacher education

A research study carried out jointly by the University of Cumbria and the Local Authority in Cumb... more A research study carried out jointly by the University of Cumbria and the Local Authority in Cumbria aimed at influencing policy and practice by investigating how the work of the Faculty of Education, in partnership with the secondary schools in Cumbria and the local authority, influences teacher supply in Cumbria.

Becoming a Health Profession Educator in Higher Education: The experiences of recently-appointed lecturers in Nursing, Midwifery and the Allied Health Professions

This study was designed to investigate the experiences of new lecturers in higher education in th... more This study was designed to investigate the experiences of new lecturers in higher education in the UK in the professional field of nursing, midwifery and allied health professions (occupational therapists, physiotherapists, diagnostic radiographers and therapeutic radiographers). The small body of existing research suggested that the transition for these practitioners as they become lecturers in higher education is challenging and that current forms of support during induction are not always effective. This study asks how new health care professional lecturers experience their transition from clinical to academic roles. It focuses on the first five years of experience after appointment to higher education and aims to inform strategies for academic induction. A number of key themes emerged from the analysis. In the UK new university lecturers in nursing, midwifery and allied health professions are generally appointed after establishing themselves as expert clinicians with associated practices and identities. They find the mid career transition to their higher education roles challenging. They generally enjoy the challenge, feel well supported and are highly motivated by nurturing new practitioners. They experience considerable tensions within their transition related both to managing their new role and the different workplace activities and priorities within it. Only a small minority of the new lecturers hold a doctorate on their appointment to higher education, they mainly see gaining a doctorate and becoming research active as an important ambition but the pressures of their working lives make this difficult to prioritise.

Civil Society, the left and community organising: Towards a progressive politics

Critical Perspectives on International Public Sector Management, 2013

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Contesting Community: The Limits and Potential of Local Organizing

Community Development Journal, 2011

to challenge and engage with established power. Such organizations play a critical role in operat... more to challenge and engage with established power. Such organizations play a critical role in operating between the tension of 'the world as it is' and the 'world as it should be'. If anything, this book highlights the need for more research into such organizations in order to learn how to more effectively promote democracy and social justice within and beyond local communities.

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Hallmarks of the Political in Community Organizing: An Arendtian Perspective

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 2021

Drawing upon Hannah Arendt’s adherence to existential phenomenology, the article advances a polit... more Drawing upon Hannah Arendt’s adherence to existential phenomenology, the article advances a political understanding and interpretation of community organizing. Arendt, it is maintained, offers valuable insight into political phenomena which are constitutive of community organizing. Four aspects, in particular, are highlighted—what I refer to as the four “A”s of association, action, appearance and authenticity—understood in existentialist, phenomenological, ontological and ultimately political terms, as primary ways of being-together-politically. The first part of the article examines Arendt’s existential phenomenological approach in shaping her understanding of the political. This provides the theoretical basis for examining in the second part of the article, phenomena which are constitutive of community organizing, highlighting how association, action, appearance and authenticity form distinctive political characteristics of community organizing as an approach. At different points,...

format_quoteArendt conceives of power as the ability to act collectively, emerging from the collaboration of diverse individuals for common goals.format_quote

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Bunyan, Paul (2010) Broad-based organizing in the UK: reasserting the centrality of political activity in community development. Community Development

This article examines the emergence of broad-based organizing in the UK and the importance given ... more This article examines the emergence of broad-based organizing in the UK and the importance given to political activity within community development. Popularly associated with Saul Alinsky and the work of the Industrial Areas Foundation, the translation from the USA has been problematic. With the emergence and sustained growth of ‘London Citizens’, now one of the largest citizen-based organizations in the country, a firmer foothold has been established. The article examines the central concepts underpinning the political and philosophical basis of broad-based organizing and explores some of the challenges involved in developing and sustaining an approach that is overtly political and utilizes conflict and direct action to engage and negotiate with established power. At a time when the neo-liberal agenda has had a depoliticizing effect upon community development, this provides a model that challenges current orthodoxy associated with ‘partnership’ and ‘empowerment’ and reasserts the c...

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The neoliberal policy context of youth work management

In much of the literature about management, it is often presented as value neutral, with an empha... more In much of the literature about management, it is often presented as value neutral, with an emphasis upon the apparently objective striving for greater efficiency and effectiveness. However, the values which underpin contemporary management practices, it is argued, are fundamentally neoliberal, with an emphasis on the private over the public sector and the pre-eminence of the market. The chapter explores the impact of neoliberalism on youth work and its management in the UK in recent years, charting the shift from welfarism, associated with social democracy, to post-welfarism, which is underpinned by neoliberalism. It makes comparisons between New Labour and Thatcher's more strident neoliberalism, and whilst it is acknowledged there are elements of the social democratic tradition within New Labour, ultimately it is the neoliberal which dominates.

The framing of ‘Fairness’ in contesting neo-liberal austerity

Local Economy

The role of civil society in reducing poverty and inequality: A case study of the living wage campaign in the UK

Local Economy

format_quoteThe living wage campaign is a pivotal civil society-led initiative for mitigating poverty and inequality in the UK in recent decades.format_quote

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Becoming a Health Profession Educator in a University: the experiences of recently-appointed lecturers in Nursing, Midwifery and the Allied Health Professions

health.heacademy.ac.uk

Executive Summary This study was designed to investigate the experiences of new lecturers in high... more

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