Author : Gerona, Maria Anabelle

Summary : This study examined engagement, disengagement, voice and silence in CFP-BA (Community Forestry Program-Beneficiaries Association), a community-based forest resource management organization, in Biliran Province, Philippines. Applying grounded theory analysis on my informants’ narrations of their experiences in their organization, I found that engagement in the organization is expressed either actively or passively. Active engagement may be in the form of being involved in supervising activities for the organization, initiating projects and making decisions for the organization. Passive engagement, on the other hand, is expressed by merely establishing presence in the organization. Likewise, disengagement from the organization is manifested either actively or passively. Members’ engagement and disengagement are influenced by personal and communicative affordances. Voice and silence are communicative affordances members exercise to negotiate their agencies in the organization. An alternative theoretical framework on the influences of personal and communicative affordances on members’ engagement and disengagement within community-based forest management organizationsis proposed.