Erica Kohl‐arena
Biographic Data
| ID | 715401 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Erica Kohl‐arena |
| GIVEN NAMES | Erica |
| FAMILY NAME | Kohl‐arena |
| SIGNATURE | ARENA E K |
| AFFILIATIONS | New School |
| ORCID | 0009-0000-6888-3573 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 8 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 11 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 8 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
From the Valley to the Delta
Decolonial Desires
On May 6, 2020, K. Wayne Yang participated in this webinar conversation hosted by Imagining America in which Wayne discusses his book, A Third University is Possible (under his pen name la paperson), and the work of decolonization in a conversation with Jack Tchen
The Self-Help Myth
Can philanthropy alleviate inequality? Do antipoverty programs work on the ground? In this eye-opening analysis, Erica Kohl-Arenas bores deeply into how these issues play out in California’s Central Valley, which is one of the wealthiest agricultural production regions in the world and also home to the poorest people in the United States. Through the lens of a provocative set of case studies, The Self-Help Myth reveals how philanthropy maintains …
The Presentation of Self in Philanthropic Life
This paper explores the negotiations of foundation program officers who aim to challenge structural inequality across regional geographies of poverty. Beyond the limits to confronting capitalist relationships of production as discussed in critical philanthropy literature, this paper shows how the professional “grantor–grantee” relationship reproduces institutional structures of power. Through the lens of Erving Goffman's “presentation of self” an…
The Self-Help Myth
This article presents a theoretical and methodological approach to studying how philanthropic power is maintained through the process of negotiating consensus between greatly unequal partners such as wealthy funders and social movement leaders. It is proposed that grant agreements between private foundations and social movement organizations construct idealized spaces of public participation and discursive theories of change that draw attention a…
Cultural Organizing as Critical Praxis
Established in 1998, the American Friends Service Committee's Pan Valley Institute (PVI) is a popular education center located in Fresno, California. Since its inception, PVI has placed a high value on what immigrants bring with them to this country—their experiences, abilities, and cultural practices, which are often informed by prolonged and daily struggles against economic and social injustice. This article profiles PVI's “cultural organizing”…
Will the Revolution be Funded? Resource Mobilization and the California Farm Worker Movement
Based on archival and qualitative field research, this paper describes how the philanthropic investments of the Max L. Rosenberg Foundation contributed to the emergence of the historic California Farm Worker Movement. The author argues that foundations do not always have articulated or clear-cut political agendas to dilute organizing campaigns; instead moments of agreement (and antagonism) emerge and are fluidly negotiated as points of convergenc…
Governing Poverty Amidst Plenty
This paper explores the current debates surrounding how large‐scale poverty programs structure the actions and strategies of regional community‐based institutions. I specifically interrogate how processes of professionalization and ‘participatory’ ideas promoted through public and private funders are negotiated by institutional ‘grantees’, and ultimately structure the ways in which historic social movement organizations build institutions and org…
Will the Revolution be Funded? Resource Mobilization and the California Farm Worker Movement
Based on archival and qualitative field research, this paper describes how the philanthropic investments of the Max L. Rosenberg Foundation contributed to the emergence of the historic California Farm Worker Movement. The author argues that foundations do not always have articulated or clear-cut political agendas to dilute organizing campaigns; instead moments of agreement (and antagonism) emerge and are fluidly negotiated as points of convergenc…
The Self-Help Myth
This article presents a theoretical and methodological approach to studying how philanthropic power is maintained through the process of negotiating consensus between greatly unequal partners such as wealthy funders and social movement leaders. It is proposed that grant agreements between private foundations and social movement organizations construct idealized spaces of public participation and discursive theories of change that draw attention a…
The Presentation of Self in Philanthropic Life
This paper explores the negotiations of foundation program officers who aim to challenge structural inequality across regional geographies of poverty. Beyond the limits to confronting capitalist relationships of production as discussed in critical philanthropy literature, this paper shows how the professional “grantor–grantee” relationship reproduces institutional structures of power. Through the lens of Erving Goffman's “presentation of self” an…
Governing Poverty Amidst Plenty
This paper explores the current debates surrounding how large‐scale poverty programs structure the actions and strategies of regional community‐based institutions. I specifically interrogate how processes of professionalization and ‘participatory’ ideas promoted through public and private funders are negotiated by institutional ‘grantees’, and ultimately structure the ways in which historic social movement organizations build institutions and org…
Governing Poverty Amidst Plenty
This paper explores the current debates surrounding how large‐scale poverty programs structure the actions and strategies of regional community‐based institutions. I specifically interrogate how processes of professionalization and ‘participatory’ ideas promoted through public and private funders are negotiated by institutional ‘grantees’, and ultimately structure the ways in which historic social movement organizations build institutions and org…
Cultural Organizing as Critical Praxis
Established in 1998, the American Friends Service Committee's Pan Valley Institute (PVI) is a popular education center located in Fresno, California. Since its inception, PVI has placed a high value on what immigrants bring with them to this country—their experiences, abilities, and cultural practices, which are often informed by prolonged and daily struggles against economic and social injustice. This article profiles PVI's “cultural organizing”…
Will the Revolution be Funded? Resource Mobilization and the California Farm Worker Movement
Based on archival and qualitative field research, this paper describes how the philanthropic investments of the Max L. Rosenberg Foundation contributed to the emergence of the historic California Farm Worker Movement. The author argues that foundations do not always have articulated or clear-cut political agendas to dilute organizing campaigns; instead moments of agreement (and antagonism) emerge and are fluidly negotiated as points of convergenc…
The Self-Help Myth
This article presents a theoretical and methodological approach to studying how philanthropic power is maintained through the process of negotiating consensus between greatly unequal partners such as wealthy funders and social movement leaders. It is proposed that grant agreements between private foundations and social movement organizations construct idealized spaces of public participation and discursive theories of change that draw attention a…
The Presentation of Self in Philanthropic Life
This paper explores the negotiations of foundation program officers who aim to challenge structural inequality across regional geographies of poverty. Beyond the limits to confronting capitalist relationships of production as discussed in critical philanthropy literature, this paper shows how the professional “grantor–grantee” relationship reproduces institutional structures of power. Through the lens of Erving Goffman's “presentation of self” an…
The Self-Help Myth
Can philanthropy alleviate inequality? Do antipoverty programs work on the ground? In this eye-opening analysis, Erica Kohl-Arenas bores deeply into how these issues play out in California’s Central Valley, which is one of the wealthiest agricultural production regions in the world and also home to the poorest people in the United States. Through the lens of a provocative set of case studies, The Self-Help Myth reveals how philanthropy maintains …
Decolonial Desires
On May 6, 2020, K. Wayne Yang participated in this webinar conversation hosted by Imagining America in which Wayne discusses his book, A Third University is Possible (under his pen name la paperson), and the work of decolonization in a conversation with Jack Tchen
From the Valley to the Delta
Political science (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Politics (5 works) · Law (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Public Administration (4 works) · Political economy (3 works) · Poverty (3 works) · Public relations (3 works) · Social movement (3 works)