Research for Organizing
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Abstract
Research is digging facts. Digging facts is as hard a job as mining coal. It means blowing them out from underground, butting them, picking them, shoveling them, loading them, pushing them to the surface, weighing them, and then turning them loose on the public for fuel for light and heat. Facts make a fire which cannot be put out. To get facts requires miners, fact miners. To get coal requires miners. The owners know what they want get it. The workers do not know what they want and get it in the neck.
Description
This article explores how research acts as a powerful tool in community organizing, likening it to coal mining gritty, persistent, and transformative. It emphasizes fact-gathering to expose power dynamics, mobilize the oppressed, and challenge injustices. Real-life examples, from miners confronting corrupt judges to tenants exposing landlords, show the strategic use of research. It outlines various types of research like community analysis, targeting, and monitoring, and warns against common pitfalls.
Keywords
Power Structure Analysis, Community Organizing, Strategic Research, Monitoring, Research
Citation
AFL-CIO, Food and Beverage Tradea Dept., 816 Sixteenth ST., NW, Washington, D.C. MANUAL OF CORPORATE INVESTIGATION: Building Profiles of Public and Private Companies, 1981.