This Article Full Text (OnlineFirst PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Rusch, L. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Rethinking Bridging: Risk and Trust in Multiracial Community Organizing

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: lrusch{at}umd.umich.edu.

	Abstract

Existing research on social capital advocates for an increase in bridging as an antidote to the "dark side" of bonding. But theory also suggests that the development of new social capital is unlikely in contexts of generalized distrust. This article addresses that quandary through the study of a congregation-based community organizing project in Detroit. Narratives drawn from interviews suggest that bridging also has downsides; potential risks from bridging are a concern for participants in multiracial organizing. I argue that the creation of bridging social capital is possible in part because organizers, clergy, and lay leaders act as conduits, intentionally building interpersonal trust among unlikely participants.

First published on November 5, 2009
Urban Affairs Review 2009, doi:10.1177/1078087409351946


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?