Post-Anthropocentric Social Work: Critical Posthuman and New Materialist Perspectives

This book challenges anthropocentrism and humanism in social work by introducing ways of thinking otherwise that challenge human exceptionalism. It develops an ethical sensibility that values entanglements of humans, non-human life, and the natural environment and provides new insights into environmental destruction, human-animal relations, gender inequality, and male dominance. It will be of interest to scholars and students of social work, community development, social policy, and development studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 228 pages
Publication date: 01 August 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book aims to challenge the prevailing assumptions of anthropocentrism and humanism in social work, which perpetuate human privilege and human exceptionalism. By presenting alternative ways of thinking, the edited collection seeks to provide a different imaginary for social work that challenges human exceptionalism.

Social work, at its core, is a liberal humanist project rooted in a robust human rights framework. This edited collection draws on various literatures, including affect, feminist new materialism, and critical posthumanism, to critique the liberal framework, which encompasses human rights. By disrupting the anthropocentrism in social work, which posits humans as an elite species at the center of world history, this book develops an ethical sensibility that values the entanglements of humans, non-human life, and the natural environment.

The book offers valuable insights into environmental destruction, human-animal relations, gender inequality, male dominance, indigenous and settler/colonial issues, and critical and green social work. It will be of interest to scholars and students of social work, community development, social policy, and development studies more broadly.

Weight: 470g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367677855