Arts, Culture and Community Development (2021 Edited by Rosie Meade and Mae Shaw, Policy Press 272 pages ISBN 978-1447340515, £26.99

Abstract

This book shows the many ways in which the arts provide the means and spaces of engagement for people to collectively 'make sense of, re-imagine, or seek to change the personal, cultural, social, economic, political or territorial conditions of their lives' (p. 1). To do so, academics and practitioners from six continents discuss and explore a range of aesthetic forms including song, music, muralism, theatre, dance, and circus arts based on examples from Finland, Lebanon, Latin America, China, Ireland, India, Sri Lanka and beyond. It comprises 13 chapters and an Afterword and is divided into two parts: 'making and sharing collective meanings' and 'negotiating policy and practice'. The first part captures how collective hopes, frustrations and fears are addressed through song, dance, etched on walls or conveyed through puppets and theatre leading to allegiances and memories that illustrate how 'community development is reflected in what is said, done, made, and created by people together' (p. 13). The second part is about the conditions of possibility for community-based arts and media, where the focus is on addressing the consequences of structural violence, inequality, and oppression. Here, the authors explore how cultural practices are conceptualised and negotiated in a wide range of countries and settings.