Ground Truths: Community-Engaged Research for Environmental Justice

This book is the first to provide a comprehensive summary of community-engaged research on environmental justice, highlighting its contributions to Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities. It offers a critical synthesis of relevant research, outlines the main steps in conducting community-engaged research, evaluates the major research methods used, suggests new directions, and addresses institutional barriers to scholarship in academia.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 338 pages
Publication date: 09 January 2024
Publisher: University of California Press

This groundbreaking book is a comprehensive and pioneering exploration of the field of community-engaged research on environmental justice, offering a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and practitioners alike. It provides a thorough summary of the existing body of knowledge in this area, highlighting the unique contributions of community-engaged research to marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, people of color, and low-income communities. By centering local knowledge, building truth from the ground up, generating actionable data that can influence decision-making, and transforming researchers' relationships with communities for equity and mutual benefit, community-engaged research emerges as a powerful tool for addressing environmental injustices.

The book offers a critical synthesis of relevant research from various fields, including public health, urban planning, conservation, law, policy, community economic development, and food justice and sovereignty. It outlines the main steps involved in conducting community-engaged research, evaluates the most commonly used research methods, suggests new directions for future research, and addresses the institutional barriers that often hinder scholarship in academia.

One of the key strengths of this book is its innovative framework, which demonstrates how community-engaged research and environmental justice align. The authors employ a holistic approach that connects research on diverse topics, such as public health, urban planning, and conservation, to the broader issues of environmental justice and social equity. This framework provides a clear roadmap for scholars and practitioners to integrate community-engaged research into their work and contribute to the pursuit of a more just and sustainable world.

In conclusion, this groundbreaking book is a must-read for anyone interested in environmental justice, community engagement, and social change. It offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the field, providing valuable insights and practical guidance for scholars, researchers, and practitioners seeking to make a positive impact on marginalized communities. By centering local knowledge, building truth from the ground up, generating actionable data, and transforming researchers' relationships with communities, community-engaged research emerges as a powerful tool for addressing environmental injustices and promoting social equity.

Weight: 472g
Dimension: 229 x 153 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520384330