scholarly journals Confronting Historical White Supremacy in Social Work Education and Practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 636-653
Author(s):  
Zoila Del-Villar
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
White Women ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Racial Formation ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Work Education

Oftentimes, social work education is in denial of its seductive and pervasive relationship with White Supremacy, as if it is exempt in power relations rooted in racial formation. The present paper investigates the historical legacy of racial formation within the United States context and its inception in the field of social work. This paper provides comprehensive definitions of the key terms used in teaching social work practice from an anti-racist social justice lens. Whiteness theory is used to highlight the way social work has perpetuated White Supremacy in the evolution of the profession and Black feminist standpoint is used to examine the experiences of non-White women as they interface with racist and oppressive social systems. I advocate for the use of a social justice pedagogy in social work education to help students think critically and reflectively about their future practice to better understand the oppressive power structures in many of today’s agencies, organizations, and institutions.  

scholarly journals The Intrepid Elective

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 708-729
Author(s):  
Alexis Jemal ◽  
Jenna Frasier
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Critical Social Work ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Critical Social

The field of social work has a professional and ethical commitment to social justice. However, scholars have identified potential dangers that may threaten that commitment. To transform dangers into opportunities that strengthen social justice service, schools of social work could incorporate critical pedagogy within the Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum. By training future social workers in critical social work practice, social work education becomes an advocate for marginalized populations. If not educated from an anti-oppressive framework, social workers have the potential to harm, oppress, and control rather than support and serve. The weight of this responsibility and firsthand social work education experiences led to the development and implementation of an elective course in critical social work informed by the Critical Transformative Potential Development (CTPD) Framework. The course follows a method that puts the CTPD theory into practice to bridge the micro-macro divide by engaging students in actively dismantling ideologies and practices of dominance. The course aims to produce anti-oppressive social workers who can better navigate social justice terrain. A student’s perspective on the course highlights strengths and areas for improvement. Future iterations of this class or similar courses of study could be adapted by and adopted for other social work education institutions. Because social work education is fertile ground to plant seeds that will grow social workers rooted in anti-racism and anti-White supremacy, there is the opportunity, with a radical education, to transform the field in a critical direction, better prepared to overcome the social justice challenges of the era.

Visions of community

1999 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-38
Author(s):  
Pauline Jivanjee ◽  
Susan Tebb
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Women's Movements ◽  
Work Education

Experiences traveling in Kenya provide a backdrop to an examination of the principles and practices of the Harambee and women’s movements in Kenya as they compare with feminist social work practice in the United States. Concluding remarks address the implications of our learning for our work in social work education.

scholarly journals Honoring Our Ancestors

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 259-273
Author(s):  
Jennifer McCleary ◽  
Estelle Simard
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
White Women ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Work History ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
Social Work History

The US social work profession has historically claimed primarily middle-class white women as the "founders" of the profession, including Jane Addams and Mary Richmond. Scholarship of the history of the profession has focused almost entirely on settlement houses, anti-poverty advocacy, and charity in the late 1800s in the northeastern United States as the groundwork of current social work practice. Courses in social work history socialize students into this historical framing of the profession and perpetuate a white supremacist narrative of white women as the primary doers of social justice work that colonizes the bodies and knowledge of Indigenous people and their helping systems. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the US have always had indigenous systems of social care. Yet, the social justice work of BIPOC, and especially Indigenous people in the US, is left out of the dominant narrative of the history of social work practice for several reasons including racism, colonialism, and white supremacy. In this paper the authors contribute to the critique of the role of white supremacy as a colonizing process in social work history narratives and discuss frameworks for decolonizing social work pedagogy through a reconciliatory practice that aims to dismantle white supremacy.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIVERSITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IN BSW PROGRAMS: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION IN THE U.S.

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (01n02) ◽  
pp. 47-66
Author(s):  
LAMART HIGHTOWER ◽  
KARL ERIK JOHNSON
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Program Directors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Tool ◽  
Inadequate Information ◽  
Implicit And Explicit ◽  
Work Education

The Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) instruction on diversity and social justice is central to the mission of social work education. The population of the United States has become more diverse and social work education has a pressing need to ensure students understand how diversity and social justice issues shape human experiences. Little research has systematically examined Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programs in that regard. This paper examines correlations among demographic characteristics and program directors' impressions on teaching diversity and social justice in the United States' (BSW) programs. Using Qualtrics, a web-based survey tool, 36 program directors responded to a 47-item instrument composed of both closed and open-ended questions. Content analysis of the data was conducted with the assistance of Nvivo 12 to identify themes and nodes. However, due to inadequate information from the program directors, the open-ended questions were analyzed using thematic analysis. Emergent themes primarily pertained to implicit and explicit curricula. A central finding from the data was that there was variation in the way schools approached instruction regarding diversity and social justice assessment. The study raises questions for continued research and may have implications for the role of accrediting organizations in offering guidelines for diversity and social justice instruction and assessment.

scholarly journals Assessing Antiracism as a Learning Outcome in Social Work Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 766-778
Author(s):  
Phillipe Copeland ◽  
Abigail Ross
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Civil Rights Movement ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Learning Outcome ◽  
Political Climate ◽  
Work Education

The current political climate and reversals of gains made during the Civil Rights Movement underscore the urgent need for preparing emerging social workers to effectively address white supremacy in social work practice. Antiracism education in social work aims to ensure competent antiracist social work practice towards the goal of eradicating white supremacy in all its forms. Given the widening racial disparities evident in income, health and educational outcomes, it is essential to examine the degree to which social work education adequately prepares emerging social work practitioners to engage in antiracist social work practice. This paper presents findings of a systematic review of social work research assessing antiracism as a learning outcome. After reviewing more than 150 studies published between 2008 and 2018, none of them focused on assessing antiracism as a learning outcome. Our review demonstrates that despite the importance of antiracist social work practice, published research on assessment of antiracism as a learning outcome is sparse and is not antiracism-focused as much as it is antiracism-inclusive. More attention to identifying and disseminating best practices for assessing student competence in antiracism practice is required to defeat white supremacy.  

scholarly journals Spring 2021 Editorial

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. i-iii
Author(s):  
Margaret E. Adamek
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Board Members ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Indiana University ◽  
School Of Social Work ◽  
Work Education

Given our commitment to highlighting current issues, challenges, and responses within social work practice and education globally, the Spring 2021 issue of Advances in Social Work is pleased to present 11 full-length papers written by 40 authors from across the U.S. and Canada. We begin with four papers calling for greater involvement of social work educators and practitioners in arenas including information literacy, dyslexia, digital equity, and independent living. These papers are followed by reports on seven empirical studies in areas of practice as diverse as kinship care, legal representation, collaboration in a dental clinic, and dance and mindfulness. We hope you find these selections on emerging areas of social work practice and education to be informative and inspiring. Each contribution to this issue is introduced below. Sprecial Issue Alert: Just a heads up that our next special issue, Dismantling White Supremacy in Social Work Education, will be released in late summer 2021. With over 100 abstracts submitted, this special issue has garnered incredible interest. We are looking forward to bringing you 34+ original papers (our largest issue to date!) addressing ways that social work education can move forward positively and intentionally in ways that acknowledge the damage wrought by white privilege, promote racial justice and anti-racist practice, and embrace new ways of knowing, teaching, and learning. The Indiana University School of Social Work, through publishing Advances in Social Work as an open access scholarly journal, is grateful to play a role in knowledge production and dissemination in social work. We are continually amazed at the dedication and hard work of our social work colleagues globally who work tirelessly to advance social and economic justice. Marshall on, colleagues! Tribute to Retiring Board Members: Before closing, I would like to take this opportunity to express sincere appreciation to three outgoing AISW Board members who recently retired from the Indiana University School of Social Work: Dr. Karen Allen, Dr. Larry Bennett, and Dr. Bob Vernon. Your contributions to not only Advances in Social Work but to the IU School of Social Work and to the social work profession at large are very much appreciated. Special accolades to Dr. Vernon who has served on the AISW Editorial Board since its inception in 1999. Best wishes to each of you in your next adventures!

Leashore, Bogart

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willie Tolliver
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Hunter College ◽  
High Standards ◽  
School Of Social Work ◽  
Work Education

Bogart Leashore (1947–2007) was dedicated to high standards of social work education, social justice and cultural diversity, sound social work practice, and the welfare of children. He was Dean of Hunter College School of Social Work from 1991 to 2003.

Discrimination and injustice against older people in Uganda: Implications for social work practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 002087281985874
Author(s):  
Charles Kiiza Wamara ◽  
Maria Irene Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Professional Regulation ◽  
Work Education

This article highlights how older people in Uganda experience discrimination and injustice. It discusses the legal framework for their protection, while acknowledging that not all professionals are aware of or have access to the legal mechanisms meant to safeguard older people’s interests. It also discusses the role social work can play in protecting older people’s rights. It further recommends that social workers work to increase solidarity between generations and bring about social justice and respect for diversity. It concludes by highlighting the need to bring anti-discriminatory social work into mainstream social work education and the professional regulation of social work.

scholarly journals Social Policy in Social Work PhD Programs in the United States

2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lightfoot ◽  
John Gal ◽  
Idit Weiss-Gal
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Social Work Education ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Doctoral Dissertations ◽  
Work Education ◽  
Phd Programs

While there has been a long-standing concern about the role of policy within social work education and social work practice, most of the emphasis has been on social work education at the BSW and MSW levels. This article examines policy education at the PhD level. It first explores how policy is taught in social work PhD programs in the United States, with an emphasis on how policy theory and research methods are included. Next, it explores the nature of policy research conducted by social work PhD students in the United States by examining the policy content in their doctoral dissertations. This study finds that policy research methods and policy study theories are only taught in a minority of social work PhD programs. In addition, very few social work doctoral dissertations have a policy focus. Of those that do, over half focus on program evaluation.

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