Social Work’s Histories of Complicity and Resistance
A Tale of Two Professions
This book rethinks social work’s history of both political resistance and complicity with oppressive practice. Comparing international case studies, the book uncovers the role of social workers in politically tense episodes of recent history, skilfully navigating the profession’s collective political past while considering its future.
Social work is often presented as a benevolent and politically neutral profession, avoiding discussion about its sometimes troubling political histories.
This book rethinks social work’s legacy and history of both political resistance and complicity with oppressive and punitive practices. Using a comparative approach with international case studies, the book uncovers the role of social workers in politically tense episodes of recent history including the anti-racist struggle in the US and the impact of colonialism in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
As the de-colonisation of curricula and Black Lives Matter movement gain momentum, the fascinating book skilfully navigates social work’s collective political past while considering its future.
Vasilios Ioakimidis is Professor of Social Work and Director of the Centre for Social Work at the University of Essex, co-founder of the Social Work Action Network and the Critical and Radical Social Work journal, and editor of International Social Work journal.
Aaron Wyllie is Lecturer at the Centre for Social Work and Social Justice, University of Essex.
Author/Editor details at time of book publication.
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