The Self-Help Myth, 1 - (Poverty, Interrupted) by Erica Kohl-Arenas (Paperback)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"The Self-Help Myth reveals how philanthropy maintains systems of inequality by attracting attention to the behaviors and responsibilities of poor people while shifting the focus away from structural inequities and relationships of power that produce poverty. The book features foundation investments in addressing migrant poverty in California's Central Valley, simultaneously one of the wealthiest agricultural production regions in the world and home to the poorest people in the United States. The case studies show how compromises between foundation staff and community organizers produce programs that ask farmworkers to help themselves while excluding strategies that address the role of industrial agriculture in creating and maintaining regional poverty. Through archival and ethnographic case studies of foundation investments leading up to the historic Farm Worker Movement, to large scale foundation-driven initiatives to improve conditions in agricultural communities during the 1990s and 2000s, foundations set firm boundaries around definitions of self-help - excluding labor organizing, immigrant rights, and advocacy approaches that hold industry accountable for the enduring abuses of farmworkers and immigrants. Processes of professionalization and institutionalization required to maintain philanthropic relationships further frustrate nonprofit organizational staff increasingly accountable to foundations and not to the people they aim to represent and serve."--Provided by publisher.<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br>Can philanthropy alleviate inequality? Do antipoverty programs work on the ground? In this eye-opening analysis, Erica Kohl-Arenas bores deeply into how these issues play out in California's Central Valley, which is one of the wealthiest agricultural production regions in the world and also home to the poorest people in the United States. <p/> Through the lens of a provocative set of case studies, <i>The Self-Help Myth</i> reveals how philanthropy maintains systems of inequality by attracting attention to the behavior of poor people while shifting the focus away from structural inequities and relationships of power that produce poverty. In Fresno County, for example, which has a $5.6 billion-plus agricultural industry, migrant farm workers depend heavily on food banks, religious organizations, and family networks to feed and clothe their families. Foundation professionals espouse well-intentioned, hopeful strategies to improve the lives of the poor. These strategies contain specific ideas--in philanthropy terminology, "theories of change"-- that rely on traditional American ideals of individualism and hard work, such as self-help, civic participation, and mutual prosperity. But when used in partnership with well-defined limits around what foundations will and will not fund, these ideals become fuzzy concepts promoting professional and institutional behaviors that leave relationships of poverty and inequality untouched. <p/><p/><br></br><p><b> From the Back Cover </b></p></br></br>"In a field dominated by shallow analysis and self-promotion, <i>The Self Help Myth </i>stands out as a model of engaged and critical scholarship. Beautifully written and carefully researched, this book is a must-read for anyone concerned with transforming philanthropy into a genuine force for social change."--Michael Edwards, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Demos<p>"<i>The Self-Help Myth</i> offers a stunning example of the failure of philanthrocapitalism and NGO humanitarianism to solve long-standing problems of poverty in America among migrant farmworkers. Using history and ethnography, Kohl-Arenas shows in gripping detail how oppositional tactics become entangled in day-to-day policy-making practices, reducing real labor crises to rhetorical problems of innovation, self-help and cooperation--the ultimate co-optation of political resistance. This book provides a critical missing link in the literature that critically scrutinizes neoliberal tactics for provisioning the safety net in America."--Vincanne Adams, Professor of Medical Anthropology, University of California, San Francisco, and author of <i>Markets of Sorrow, Labors of Faith</i> <p/> "<i>The Self-Help Myth</i> goes beyond simplistic dichotomies of philanthropic empowerment and cooptation to vividly convey the complex realities and on-the-ground power dynamics behind the funder's rhetoric. Kohl-Arenas combines nuanced ethnography and compelling historical analysis to show how the structural interests of philanthropic foundations remain at odds with their stated goals to reduce poverty and inequality."--Alyosha Goldstein, Associate Professor of American Studies, University of New Mexico, and author of <i>Poverty in Common: The Politics of Community Action during the American Century</i></p> <br><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br><p>"This book covers an immense breadth of pertinent fields, and it should be considered a must read for anyone concerned with the increasing levels of inequality faced by people across the world, and why so many efforts to do good fail."</p>-- "European Legacy"<br><br>"In a major contribution of the study, Kohl-Arenas, through her case studies, opens the "black box" of the non-profit-industrial complex by examining not farmworkers themselves but the ideas, practices, and institutions that structure the relationships among foundation board members, presidents, mid-level foundation program officers, and activists with non-profit organizations."-- "Science & Society"<br><br>"Recommended."-- "CHOICE" (6/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)<br><br>"Too often, philanthropic and non-profit work is taken for granted as being inherently benevolent. Kohl-Arenas complicates these assumptions while also honoring the critiques presented by the Central Valley's nonprofit leaders and workers, who frequently hail from the communities they serve."-- "Anthropology of Work Review" (11/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)<br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Erica Kohl-Arenas </b>is Assistant Professor at the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at The New School in New York. <p/> <br>
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