Radical Challenges for Social Work Education

Radical social work is an approach to social work that challenges the individualizing and blaming form of social work that neoliberalism ushered in four decades ago. It focuses on the circumstances a person might find themselves in, such as poverty, poor housing, poor education, high crime rates, and lack of opportunities. This book is a step towards resurrecting radical social work principles and urges us to think about how social work education can be reshaped to that end.

Format: Hardback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 14 April 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Radical social work is a transformative approach to social work that departs from a solely behavioral, moral, or psychological understanding of service users' problems. Traditionally, social work has been concerned with the moral character of individuals in trouble, often poor people, creating a clear divide between those deemed "deserving of help" and those considered "undeserving." However, the rise of science and the "psy disciplines" led to psychological explanations for the difficulties people faced. Both moral and psychological explanations, with their narrow focus on the individual, have experienced a resurgence in recent times, coinciding with the neoliberal self-sufficiency narrative and the growing emphasis on trauma.

Radical social work challenges these explanations and emphasizes the circumstances a person might find themselves in, such as poverty, poor housing, poor education, high crime rates, and limited opportunities. It seeks to address the systemic issues that contribute to social problems and promote social justice and equity.

This book is a valuable step toward resurrecting radical social work principles and advocating for a transformative approach to social work education. It encourages readers to rethink how social work education can be reshaped to prioritize the needs of individuals and communities, challenge oppressive systems, and promote social change.

Radical Challenges for Social Work Education is a significant contribution to social work practice and theory, appealing to academics, researchers, and advanced students in a wide range of disciplines, including Politics, Education, Social Work, Sociology, Public Policy, Development Studies, Anthropology, and Human Geography. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Social Work Education, highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the need to address social work's complex challenges in a holistic and systemic manner.

In conclusion, Radical Challenges for Social Work Education is a timely and important book that offers a radical vision for social work education. It challenges traditional approaches to social work and promotes a more holistic and transformative approach that prioritizes the needs of individuals and communities, addresses systemic issues, and promotes social justice and equity. This book will be a valuable resource for academics, researchers, and practitioners seeking to reimagine social work education and contribute to building a more just and equitable society.

Weight: 650g
Dimension: 246 x 174 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032218182