Abstract
The effects of rural reform and China's integration into the global capitalist market have increased the vulnerability of the rural poor to financial hardship, loss of cultural identity, and other deprivations. In response to this situation, we initiated a pilot action research project in 2005 in an ethnic minority community in the Yunnan province of China. It encouraged local women to form a handicraft group to preserve and develop indigenous cultural artefacts and crafts which are available for market consumption. It aims, through capacity building, enhance the women's income, promote a new form of collectivism, protect the Zhuang ethnic minority traditional culture, and strengthen local cultural identity and confidence. This article first describes the dilemma of China's rural development and introduces our theoretical perspective. Then it demonstrates how we invigorated the community participation and facilitated the rural social work step by step.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 344-369 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Action Research |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2011 |
Keywords
- capacity building
- interdisciplinary collaboration
- rural social work
- strength perspective
- women community development
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Strategy and Management
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management