Community Development in Sub-Saharan Africa explores the dynamics of community development thinking, processes, and approaches in contemporary sub-Saharan Africa. This edited collection prioritises how localised community processes foster transformation in resource-poor communities. The book emphasises examples of community resilience and recovery using locally informed approaches that respect local cultures and ways of being. The book further highlights the formative, yet understudied role of community development practice in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on how local actions are critical in reducing poverty, enhancing local innovations and sustainability, diversifying livelihoods, and strengthening the architecture for transformative futures. The primary audience is scholars and students with interests in community development, history of development, international development, African Studies, and development theorising, as well as community development policymakers and practitioners.
Edited by:
Grey Magaiza,
Savathrie Margie Maistry
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032763828
ISBN 10: 1032763825
Series: Community Development Research and Practice Series
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 22 September 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
College/higher education
,
Undergraduate
,
Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction: Community Development in the Global South: Perspectives from Sub-Saharan Africa Section One: Histories, Contexts and Conceptual Perspectives of Community Development in Sub-Saharan Africa 1. (Re)telling the History of Community Development in South Africa 2. History and emergence of community development in Nigeria: a descriptive perspective 3. Evolving pathways – Historical Evolution of Community Development Approaches in Africa Section Two: Philosophical and Theoretical Perspectives of Community Development in Sub-Saharan Africa 4. Ontology and Epistemology of Endogenous Development – Implications on Indigenous Cosmovision for Community Development in Sub-Saharan Africa 5. Critical Realism: A Critical Evaluation in the Context of Community Development in Sub-Saharan Africa 6. Decolonisation and Decoloniality of the 21st Century – An Antidote for Elusive (Community) Development? 7. Theorising Community Development in Africa – Insights and Approaches Section Three: Community Development Praxis in Sub-Saharan Africa 8. Higher Education Community Engagement and its Contribution to Community Development in South Africa – A Case Study of Rhodes University Community Engagement 9. Enhancing Water Access to Empower Women and Foster Community Development – Insights from the Phaloni Solar Water Project in Phalombe, Malawi 10. Community Development as a Process and Method – Insights from Northwestern Botswana 11. Transitioning From a Rural to Urban Centre – a Case of Domboshava in Pre-Colonial and Post-Colonial Eras in Zimbabwe 12. The Role of Community-Based Praxis in Community Development – Lessons from Grassroots Initiatives on the Eastern Coast of Tanzania 13. Informal Waste Picking as a Sustainable Livelihood Initiative and Potential for Human and Community Development: A Case of Metal Waste Pickers in OR Tambo District Municipality, Eastern Cape South Africa
Grey Magaiza is a senior lecturer in Community Development and is currently Deputy Director for the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies (CGAS) on the Qwaqwa Campus. His research interests are in social theoretical integration and applied social research in rural development, border studies, and community development, particularly social entrepreneurship, rural innovation, and youth studies. Savathrie Margie Maistry is currently a research associate at Rhodes University. She was a member of the national task team established by the Department of Social Development, Community Development Directorate in South Africa, for the professionalisation of community development. She is the chief editor of the online, open-access African Journal of Higher Education Community Engagement.
