This compendium of key articles, chapters and book extracts published over the past half century provides an invaluable and timely resource for anyone interested in tracking the history of community development in the UK. The editors, all leading academics in the community development world, have carefully selected contributions that capture crucial and recurring insights into the shifting sands of community-related policy, politics and practice.

As its sub-title indicates the collection allows the reader to explore significant debates as they have unfolded over the years, highlighting tensions that continue to this day. The sections are arranged chronologically, each prefaced by a useful commentary covering the political context for each period and highlighting the main opportunities, controversies and challenges that faced community development around that time. It is therefore possible to use the Reader to trace how community development as an occupation has evolved in response to changing government priorities, the impact of social movements (especially in relation to equalities and social justice) and economic pressures that have reduced public spending or shaped the everyday experiences of Britain's poorest communities.

Community development has followed a chequered and convoluted journey from its post-colonial origins through periods of radicalism, co-option and relative obscurity. As the various chapters reveal, its purpose and practice have been defined over and again. For some, it is an approach that is broad enough to include anyone working ‘in’ community settings, while others have dogmatically sought to impose standards of practice relating to a specific, and non-negotiable, set of values.

Nevertheless, as someone steeped in the theory and practice of community development since the 1980s I was struck by the enduring sense that fundamentally community development aims to change the world for better – by improving democratic processes, extending knowledge, addressing power differentials and tackling all forms of discrimination. Various chapters in this Reader illuminate the points of contention and demonstrate how long-standing dilemmas have affected practitioner roles and influenced policy, for example around participation and partnership working. In particular, the dynamics that govern state-sponsored community work have exercised the minds of practitioners and their managers throughout its history. The recent New Labour emphasis on community engagement and empowerment has served to delineate positions along the critical spectrum from radical ideals, measured pragmatism and wholesale abandonment of core values, namely that communities should determine their own goals and be supported to work in ways that suit local circumstances and priorities.

The language associated with community development has been a particular source of confusion, from the on-going discussions about what is meant by ‘community’ to the discourses around empowerment and equality. Many of the chapters focus on how ideological concerns are reflected in the words used to describe different kinds of community participation, while others examine how assorted practice models are being implemented according to a range of political goals or public service settings. Different aspects of ‘development’ are explored: informal learning, critical dialogue, collective organising, service improvement, capacity building, anti-oppressive strategies and community participation in public decision making and planning. The choice of contributors offers both critiques and aspirations, reminding the reader of the contested and ambivalent nature of community development. Current issues echo earlier debates, for example around degrees of ‘directedness’ or the appropriate levels of intervention that might succeed in solving deep-rooted social and economic problems.

The self-declared aim of the book is to re-assert the identity of the community development occupation, which it does to a great extent, presenting a coherent, if not consensual, set of analyses and models that enable the reader to gain an overview of the main milestones and debates. Most key writers and ideas are included, although it would have been useful to have a more considered exploration of developments around how the value of community work can be demonstrated, in terms of the benefit for communities as well as its contribution to delivering government policies. Methods of evaluating community development have improved markedly over the period covered by the Reader, with a clearer focus on outcomes, and this aspect of the work will continue to evolve as necessary means of ensuring effective accountability and sustainability over coming generations.

It was also disappointing to see only one reference to the Community Development Challenge report (CLG, 2006) which was commissioned by government and produced by a remarkable coalition of practitioners, academics and managers drawn from the main three national community development bodies and across all sectors. It represented a concerted attempt to reach a consensus about the current position of community development in England, as a means of promoting its applications across a range of policy areas. As such, edited extracts from the Report might have been worthy of inclusion.

Notwithstanding these relatively minor omissions, the editors have done a splendid job in gathering together and contextualising this collection. It is highly recommended as a source book for anyone interested in how current discussions on developmental work with communities can be set within contrasting ideologies and traditions; indeed some chapters, such as the ones on ‘Gilding the Ghetto’ (Community Development Project inter-project team), anti-racism (Manning and Ohri) and boundaries of change (Thomas et al.) should be compulsory reading for all students and practitioners. Although most of the chapters were already familiar through my own research on community development and networking, and previous teaching responsibilities, I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading them and being reminded of how easy it is to unwittingly re-invent wheels and rehearse old arguments. Hopefully, the existence of this valuable collection of significant thinking from the past will mean that community development will be able to move forward with some innovatory ideas and more challenging practices.