On Transformation and Social Change

A Kaleidoscope of Readings

on Transformation and Social Change

. . .

Annotated Bibliographies from Activist Scholarship at WISR

WISR Press --

The Academic Press of the Western Institute for Social Research

Berkeley, California

Authors:

The late Sandra Tomlin, PhD

Dennis Hastings, PhD

Margery Coffey, PhD

Zak Kondo, PhD

William Heineke, EdD, PhD

David Yamada, JD, PhD

Larry Berkelhammer, PhD

Osahon Eigbike, PhD

Che Kum Clement, PhD

Steven Fletcher, PhD

Ronald Mah, PhD Candidate

Michael Ratner, PhD Candidate

Shawna Sodersten, JD, MA, MFT

Suzanne Quijano, MA

Lydell Willis, MA

Alex Martinez, MA

Editor: John Bilorusky, PhD

Table of Contents

Forward

Purpose of this Book:

Sharing Kaleidoscopic Views of the Activist Scholarship at WISR

About the Authors, their Inquiries, and their Recommendations

Purpose and History of WISR’s Learner-produced Annotated Bibliographies

About WISR’s Doctoral Program in Higher Education and Social Change

Technical Note about the Format of this Book

Annotated Bibliographies by . . .

PhD Alumni and Students

Themes covered by all: participatory action-research and qualitative research, social change, multiculturality, adult/community/higher education

Sandy Tomlin, PhD, May 2007

Specializations covered: Native American History, Native American Mythic Literature, Native American Genocide

Dennis Hastings and Margery Coffey, PhDs, September 2009

Specializations: Art, Omaha

Zak Kondo, PhD, September 2009

Specializations: African American History, American Slavery, American History Before the Civil War, American History Since the Civil War, Race Issues

William Heineke, PhD, September 2009

Specialization: The Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

David Yamada, PhD, January 2010

Specializations: Workplace Bullying, Intellectual Activism

Larry Berkelhammer, PhD, July 2011

Specializations: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Books for the Public, ACT Books for Clinicians, Books for Cancer Patients and for Chronic Illness Patients

Osahon Eigbike, PhD, September 2011

Specialization: Multicultural Spirituality

Che Kum Clement, PhD, April 2012

Specializations: Vocational and Technical Education, Adult Education and Teacher Training, Supported Employment, and International Development

Steven Fletcher, PhD, June 2012

Specializations: Transformation and Transformational Education, Active Listening, Metaphysical

Agnes Morton, PhD Candidate

Specializations: Overtown History and Social Change in Miami, Florida; Social Determinants of Health; Community Development; Community Organizing; Health Disparities; Public Health

Ronald Mah, PhD Candidate (projected completion: Spring 2013)

Specializations: Learning disabilities, Attention deficit hyperactive disorder, Aspergers Syndrome, and Giftedness; Anger, aggression, abuse, and violence; Dis-empowered, passive, and low self-esteem individuals

Michael Ratner, PhD Candidate

Specializations: Exploring states of Ultra-Being, Theories of Personal Excellence and Self Liberation; Defining Mass Trance

MFT Alumni

Themes covered: action-research, social change, multiculturality, marriage and family therapy

Shawna Sodersten, June 2008
Lydell Willis, July 2012
Suzanne Quijano, MA, March 2013

MA in Social Sciences, Alumni

Themes covered: action-research, social change, multiculturality

Alex Martinez, April 2012

Specialization: Street Gangs and Political Activism

About WISR. its Academic Degree Programs, and WISR Press

How to Contact Us

How to Contact the Authors

Forward:

Purpose of this Book:

Sharing Kaleidoscopic Views of the Activist Scholarship at WISR

So much to read, so much to learn, so many problems and injustices to address, so little time. Blogs and articles to read on the internet seem to be endless, more and more e-books are convenient and not too costly, and public libraries and many major university libraries remain accessible and very valuable. But where does one begin?

This book doesn’t supply a tidy answer to this question or sure-fire solutions on how best to proceed. However, it does offer some readings of value to consider, complete with brief descriptions and commentaries by scholar-activists at the Western Institute for Social Research (WISR) [ ], each of whom has nominated a couple dozen or so readings as worthy of more than a passing glance.

The readings in these annotated bibliographies span many topics and areas of interest, including especially multiculturality, social change, participatory action-research, adult/community/higher education, and personal transformation. But there’s more: therapeutic methods, Native American and African American history, US history, workplace bullying, health disparities, living and thriving with illness, street gangs, community organizing, research on mind-body interconnections, vocational and technical education, spirituality, and theories of sociology and psychology, among others. WISR’s learning culture promotes the belief that we are all builders of knowledge, and that inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge can be a positive force for social change—for social justice, personal transformation, and respect for and affirmation of our multicultural world.

This publication presents readings recommended over the past few years by members of the WISR learning community [ ]. Its purpose is to support and enhance the reader’s learning, and the larger, never-ending endeavor of knowledge-building. Each WISR learner makes his or her recommendations from the books they have read during their studies at WISR. The variety of readings suggested is almost dizzying, and yet the reader of this book will probably see some themes and patterns among the dozens of recommendations. Each learner’s recommendations are will be useful to many and worth considering, and, taken as a whole, the recommendations in this book provides much for those interested in “transformation and social change.” For this reason, the book is aptly titled, “A Kaleidoscope of Readings on Transformation and Social Change.”

Each learner provides with a new, interesting and engaging perspective and a rather distinctive array of readings to consider for our further study. Each learner’s recommendations suggest a coherent pattern, even if the pattern is complex and multifaceted, and not so easy to boil down to a few simple phrases or ideas. This is not surprising if we remind ourselves that the readings grow out of that learner’s interests, purposes and values—a sort of window into what is meaningful and matters most to him or her. When we go from one learner’s recommendations to those provided to us by the next learner, it is as though we have twisted the tube of the kaleidoscope. The stimulating and curiosity-provoking pattern that appeared to us a moment ago has now been replaced by a new and different pattern—a new complex of topics and suggested readings, still engaging to our senses and our mind, but very different from the previous constellation of readings.

As is the case when using most any kaleidoscope, the curiosity-seeking person is not easily bored, and after a while, the viewer may begin to see some patterns—perhaps subtle, but quite still quite discernible and interesting—among the many images as one continues to twist the tube. Some overarching themes and “bigger picture” patterns can be noted. This is not surprising. Since WISR was founded in 1975, “WISeR” has had a mission to attract learners interested in multiculturality, participatory action-research, social change and social justice, and working in the fields of higher/adult/community education, marriage and family therapy, social sciences and human services and community development. WISR is an academic institution that believes creatively bringing together theory and action, and it follows therefore that the learning and inquiry done by WISR students can often be characterized as “activist scholarship” as indicated by this book’s subtitle.

About the Authors, their Inquiries, and their Recommendations

It is worth saying a little bit about each learner who has contributed to this initial publication of annotated bibliographies from the WISR community.

The late Dr. Sandra Tomlin was a member of the Choctaw Nation and this gives special emphasis and value to her contributions. She previously did research and publication work for the nonprofit, United Native Americans, Inc. She was a member of the former Native American Heritage Preservation Project in Contra Costa County. She was active in Indian burial ground preservation from 1979 to the mid-90s. After receiving her MA and auditing about 20 UC Berkeley classes in Native American Studies, she became motivated to make her own contribution to improving Native American Studies. One of her goals in her PhD studies at WISR was to promote improvements at all levels of lower and higher education. Having noted this, the reader will also see that her concerns for all indigenous people and for all of humanity are very evident in her recommended readings.

Dennis Hastings and Margery Coffey also bring a deeply informed, and an all-too-rarely published, Native American perspective to their very extensive, collaborative scholarship. Dennis is a member of the Omaha tribe, and many years ago, he founded the Omaha Tribal Historical Research Project, which has been designated the cultural authority of the Omaha people by the Tribal Council. Dennis was one of the Native Americans who occupied Alcatraz Island over 40 years ago. In the mid 70s he returned to the Omaha reservation in Nebraska , where he has worked tirelessly ever since to preserve and restore the Omaha’s cultural heritage and to work for needed improvements in the education of Omaha youth. Margery Coffey has collaborated with Dennis for over 20 years and lives near the Omaha reservation. She has devoted those years of her life to working with Dennis to preserve the Omaha’s cultural heritage and to work with the Omaha to better the communities and lives of the Omaha as we move forward into the 21st century. As a skilled and highly trained artist, Margery brings that interest and expertise to the collaborative endeavor that she and Dennis maintained on every project through their PhD studies.

For many years, Zak Kondo has been engaged in serious scholarship in the development of an Africentric world view. He has published books and articles, delivered lectures and produced CDs growing out of his scholarship, including the book, Unraveling the Assassination of Malcolm X and The Black Student’s Guide to Positive Education. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities on the East Coast, including Bowie State University, Goddard College’s external degree program, and Baltimore City College. His dissertation was on the racial politics of Post-World War II US Presidents, and studies involved in depth reading in many areas of American history and African American history, as well. In his end of program evaluation, he commented that WISR embraces the principle principle “that research does not have to fit into a box, and does not have to answer all the questions. Rather, sometime the value in research revolves around the extent to which it raises important questions. This principle runs counter to the philosophy and culture of traditional schools which subscribe to the principle that research is designed to resolve questions rather than leave them hanging. I resisted this principle initially but have come to appreciate it and to subscribe to it. In sum, WISR has enabled me to grow intellectually and politically and to refine skills that I likely would not have addressed at a traditional school.”

William Heinekehas lived in the State of Wyoming since 1978, earned his EdD at the University of Wyoming, and during that entire time, his professional career has been focused on addressing the challenges posed by child abuse and neglect. In his comments, taken from his written, end of program evaluation of his experiences while enrolled at WISR: “I am a long term professional anomaly in Campbell County, Wyoming. When I came here in 1978 I was employed as a child and adolescent therapist. I, with another therapist, started the first outpatient treatment program for felony convicted sex offenders in a community mental health center in the state of Wyoming. . . . My commitment to work in the area of child abuse and neglect has never changed. There is always much to be learned, discovered among what is considered known and accepted practices. . . . One very important way for me to sustain myself professionally was to go back to school. I missed the studying, the work, the joy and stimulation of learning. I wanted to be systematic about it. WISeR’s program with its flexible learning contract reflected my needs.”

David Yamada’s recommended readings reflect his thoroughgoing commitment to, and belief in, the importance of intellectual activism and the value to our society of the work done by independent scholars as well as by those affiliated with academia. He is a tenured professor of law at Suffolk University in Boston, specializing in labor law. His dissertation was, as he himself states, “a consolidation and assessment of my past, present, and future work” in the area of workplace bullying. As an internationally recognized authority on the legal and policy aspects of workplace bullying, he has drafted model legislation known as the Healthy Workplace Bill that is being introduced in state legislatures across the country. He is a prolific author of scholarly articles and of proposed policy and legislation on the growing problem of workplace bullying. He has often been interviewed by major media,such as Newsweek and MSNBC on problems of and possible solutions to workplace bullying.

Larry Berkelhammer’s readings underscore the importance he gives to educating both clinical professionals and laypeople. He has thoroughly combed many nooks and crannies of both the scholarly and self-help literature exploring mind-body interconnections. He is a licensed therapist whose professional- and life-focus has come to center on working with, and empowering, people with life threatening or chronic illnesses. He plans to publish his dissertation as a book “for people living with chronic medical conditions who would like to learn how the mind affects states of health or disease. Mindfulness practice is explored as an evidence-based path to improved health and wellbeing. The book is also written for integrative medicine physicians, as well as physicians, nurses, and psychologists who work in psychooncology, psychoneuroimmunology, mind-body medicine, and mindfulness-based behavioral medicine.”

Osahon Eigbike is a Nigerian-Canadian, who enrolled at WISR, after having previously earned a doctoral degree in divinity. A Nigerian-Canadian, he has done extensive teaching (in social studies) at both secondary and university levels in Nigeria, Southern Africa, and Canada. He has also worked as a career-employment counselor and consulting-case manager, and also as project manager in the area of capacity-building for poverty alleviation. Many of his recommended readings reflect his deep and thorough engagement with “multicultural spirituality.” Further, as is the case with all the learners who have contributed to this publication, one will be able to see interests and scholarly commitments that go beyond the learner’s central focus.

Che Kum Clement’s immersion into the breadth and depth of scholarship on vocational and technical education, as well as his international perspective, grows out of his major academic and professional position. For some time, he has served as Chair of the Department of Technical and Vocational Education at the Islamic University of Technology (IUT) in Bangladesh. IUT serves students from the 57 member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). Before joining IUT in 2002, Che Kum had been working for the Cameroon’s Ministry of National Education as senior management staff in charge of Vocational schools in Cameroon. He is a Board member, and also African regional representative of (UNIP), United Network on Innovation and Professional Development in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) working in collaboration with UNESCO-UNEVOC. He is also the president of Cameroon Association for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CATEVOT). Che Kum’s research interest is in the development of the capacity of teachers of technical and vocational education and also in developing the capacity of youth in the area of TVET as a means of social change. Che Kum has published many papers in international conferences in USA, UK, Russia, Israel, China, Malaysia, Thailand, to name a few, and has also published many papers in refereed journals in the area of Technical and Vocational Education and Training.

Steven Fletcher is currently on the faculty at Guizhou University in China. Beyond the activities involved with any current professional appointment, like all WISR learners, Steven’s interests and scholarship reflect a kaleidoscopic array of life experiences and involvements. He is an educator, author and musician, and he integrates his music and the stories from his two anthologies into his teaching. Recently he created an approach to second language learning called HILL (Holistic Integrated Language Learning) which he has implemented in China. At WISR he has written about a number of theories and educational methods that he has either developed or expanded.Steven has made a conscious effort to give us recommended readings which include those from his WISR studies, but which also reflect his lifelong inquiring journey. In introducing the many categories of readings in his annotated bibliography, he tells us, “Most of these categories blend into one another. Why? From my perspective social change is highly related to education and personal transformation. Personal transformation is rooted in religion and a derivation of religion: philosophy. Therefore, I encourage the reader who is looking for a book to read to look in all of these categories rather than just looking under the expected categories.”

Agnes Morton holds her Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley and is in the dissertation stage of her PhD studies at WISR. She worked for decades in the San Francisco Bay Area as a public health nurse and health educator. Upon her retirement a few years ago, she returned to her home community of Overtown in Miami, Florida. Overtown was virtually destroyed by urban renewal many years ago, and Agnes has been devoting her retirement years to working with others to revitalize that community and to address the many problems that impact so seriously on the residents of that community, as is the case in other marginalized, disenfranchised communities. Agnes’ PhD studies, of which her activism in Overtown is the central focus, have built on her already substantial expertise in the areas of health disparities, health education, community development and community organizing. Her annotated bibliography reflects the considerable depth and breadth of her continuing inquiries aimed at bringing about some measure of social justice to the residents of Overtown.