Activism, Alliance Building, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center

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Description

The longevity of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, Texas, suggests that it is possible for a social change organization to simultaneously address racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, imperialism, environmental justice, and peaceand to succeed. Activism, Alliance Building, and the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center uses ethnographic research to provide an instructive case study of the importance and challenges of confronting injustice in all of its manifestations. Through building and maintaining alliances, deploying language strategically, and using artistic expression as a central organizing mechanism, The Esperanza Peace and Justice Center demonstrates the power of multi-issue organizing and intersectional/coalitional consciousness. Interweaving artistic programming with its social justice agenda, in particular, offers Esperanza a unique forum for creative and political expression, institutional collaborations, and interpersonal relationships, which promote consciousness raising, mobilization, and social change. This study will appeal to scholars of communication, Chicana feminism, and ethnography.

Reviews

DeTurks examination of San Antonios Esperanza Peace and Justice Center is a powerfully reflexive exploration of how the arts and socio-cultural aesthetics are deeply rooted in the everyday interaction rituals we often fail to consider when studying activism and politics. Her attention to intercultural subtleties informs her theoretical sensitivity and analysis in ways that help not only those attempting to study or work with Latina/os, but all who find themselves engaged in liminal political social spaces of contention. -- Sarah Amira de la Garza, Arizona State University
Sara DeTurk has masterfully captured the comprehensive story of San Antonios Esperanzaa beacon of hope, healing, empowerment, and social change. Esperanza is a story that needs to be told for it is one of the best feminist- and community-based exemplars of what it means, what it takes, and what can happen when ordinary citizens speak truth to power, confront injustice, and triumph over negligence and inequality. -- Laura I. Rendn, University of Texas at San Antonio
Sara DeTurk has turned a critical lens onto a community space and gives us more than a snapshot of the intricate negotiations behind the work of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center in San Antonio, Texas. This is a significant contribution to the scholarly analysis of a social movement activist organization. Meticulous research and in depth interviews allow DeTurk to discern the vicissitudes and challenges such an organization faces. -- Norma E. Cant, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Author Bio

Sara DeTurk is associate professor of communication at University of Texas at San Antonio.