Thesis Overview

The first three chapters introduce the study, canvass the theoretical context and outline methodology. Chapter IV provides contextual background to the study and responds to the first research question; Chapter V responds to the second research question; Chapter VI responds to the third research question and Chapter VII responds to the fourth and fifth research questions. The final chapter concludes by emphasising the significance of this research and its contributions to knowledge.

Chapter II provides a review of the literature. The main aim of this chapter will be to understand key concepts in community empowerment, identify gaps in knowledge and develop a conceptual and analytical framework. It defines key concepts and provides a critical overview of debates on power and empowerment, and summarises current research studies in community empowerment in Australia. Following discussion of conceptualisations in empowerment and institutional analysis, the chapter presents a conceptual and analytical framework to guide this study by integrating conceptualisations in empowerment with institutional analysis.

Chapter III describes the design of the research, methodology and methods used in the research. It provides a justification for the choice of the methodology and methods of research, data collection and analyses. The chapter also reflects on the ethnographic journey taken working with the three case studies and some of the observations made during the study as a way of recording and retaining experiences and insights about doing ethnographic studies in Australia. It discusses the challenges and opportunities that the choice of ethnography as a method posed. In addition, the chapter documents some practical challenges encountered during the fieldwork and analysis of data that includes the ethics approval process.

Chapter IV provides contexts to the African communities in Australia and describes the three ethnographic case studies. The chapter highlights the migration history of African people in Australia, the nature of disadvantage and disempowerment, their attributes, and the norms, policies, legal structures, and power relations (institutional arrangements) that affected their action. Actual stories of Africans collected through ethnographic interviews and information from secondary sources are incorporated to provide both cultural and socio-economic background. The three case study organisations are described by presenting their activities, resources they used and their achievements. The chapter

K. Hiruy | Institute for Regional Development | Introduction 12

addresses the first research question by describing the historical background of African communities and highlighting contexts in which they used collective action to attain empowerment.

Chapter V presents community formation as a mechanism for and constitutive element of empowerment. Community formation is the process of self-organisation and the formation of ‘community groups’ and ‘organisations.’ This chapter presents an ethnographic account and analysis of the process of self-organisation and the formation of ‘community groups’ and ‘organisations.’ Taxonomic typologies of African community groups highlight the differences in different community groups. The chapter also discusses how African community groups form, factors that influence their formation and how community formation influences their empowerment. It answers the second research question by looking at the mechanisms through which African communities attain empowerment.

Chapter VI addresses the third research question by analysing the conditions, resources and structures that contribute to the empowerment of African communities. The chapter makes the point that community organisations and leadership, partnership and collaboration, social incidents and conflicts create a favourable environment for community empowerment. The chapter argues that resources such as refugee experiences, know-how and skills, culture, leadership, financial resources and assets play crucial roles in the attainment of empowerment. Social structure is presented as one of the key factors that influence the empowerment of the community. In this context social structure is defined in its sociological and anthropological sense and include the relationship of African communities to each other and with other communities and the patterns of behaviour that emanate from these interactions in the social system, and institutionalised norms that structure the actions of these communities.

Chapter VII responds to the fourth and fifth research questions by describing and analysing the role and action of actors (governments, NGOs and community groups), their interactions and the outcome of these actions and interactions in the empowerment of community groups. The chapter provides in-depth analysis of the interaction among the different actors, institutional formats through which interactions occur, and underlying factors that influence the extent to which these interactions occur. It highlights emerging patterns of interaction and their contribution to the attainment of empowerment. By highlighting interactions between the community groups and their larger institutional environment, the chapter also responds to the final research question about broader social change.

K. Hiruy | Institute for Regional Development | Introduction 13

The concluding chapter summarises key findings, highlights the contribution of this study to theory, policy and practice and provides conclusive remarks by drawing lessons from the three case studies. The chapter concludes that contexts and formation of communities play significant roles in the empowerment of communities. It notes that community empowerment requires an enabling government and the NGO sector that facilitates the participation of disadvantaged communities to achieve their own goals. It also notes that random and unpredictable events—critical social incidents—play a role in the empowerment process by drawing the attention of actors and institutions to the action situation. Cultural resources are also considered as key elements in the empowerment of African communities.

The chapter suggests that practitioners and policymakers need to pay attention to these factors when working with African communities and when designing policies and programs to address disadvantage in these communities. The chapter also points out some of the limitations of the study and provides directions for future research. It suggests that community empowerment studies need to include institutional analysis to allow researchers to analyse the dynamics between action and structure. It also suggests the need for further studies to understand community formation and social incidents and their application to wider social change.

K. Hiruy | Institute for Regional Development | Power and Empowerment: Review of the Literature 14

Chapter II