Critical Difference Engagement: Toward a Critical Practice Approach to Mobilize Differences in Community Practice

ABSTRACT Although community practice increasingly deals with differences across race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and their intersections, approaches continue to be dominated by historical precedent, conceptual frameworks, practice wisdom, and case study. Informed by intervention development, community-engaged research, critical perspectives, and rooted in practice; this study utilizes critical-grounded theory methods to build a beginning-level practice approach that aims to develop practitioners’ skills in working across differences. Findings demonstrate key core process dimensions of knowledge building, relationship care, and quality communication, along various stages of community change; expanding the practical detail and scope of critical community practice.