Social Work Practices : Contemporary

Karen Healy profoundly challenges, in the context of the postmodernity of late capitalism, many of the assumptions upon which the critical tradition in social work has been founded. This is a book which interrogates not only the emancipatory metanarratives of left perspectives from her position within the left, but also questions many of the received ideas about her professional power and identity, and about the kinds of social work practices necessary in order to continue to pursue welfare as an emancipatory project under transformed ideological and material circumstances. This is a most significant contribution to the debates which confront social work, worldwide, at the present time.' - Peter Leonard, McGill University, Canada

Acknowledgements

x

Social Work: Contemporary Challenges

1

(11)

The contemporary climate: post-Fordist abyss or grounds for hope?

1

(1)

Critical social work

2

(1)

Marginalizing dissent in critical social work

3

(2)

A poststructural turn in critical social work

5

(2)

The poststructural orientation of this work

7

(1)

Using social work practice to build critical practice theory

8

(1)

What you can expect: an overview of the book

9

(1)

Conclusion

10

(2)

The Legacy of Our Past and the Nature of Our Present

12

(25)

Critical theory: the origins of critical social science

13

(1)

The contribution of Hegel to critical theory

14

(1)

Marx and the materialist dialectic

15

(2)

Twentieth century developments of critical theory

17

(1)

Critical social science

18

(1)

Conceptual contributions of critical social science to activist social work

19

(2)

The development of a critical approach to social work

21

(1)

Critiquing the individualistic focus of orthodox social work

22

(1)

Acknowledging the fundamental inequities between workers and clients

22

(1)

The ideology of professionalism and domination

23

(1)

The transformative agenda of activist social work

24

(1)

The prioritization of the social structure

25

(1)

From individual pathology to social oppression

26

(1)

The development of egalitarian practice processes

27

(3)

Strategies for change in critical social work

30

(3)

The role of the worker

33

(2)

Conclusion

35

(2)

Foucault, Feminism and the Politics of Emancipation

37

(19)

Poststructuralism: an overview

38

(1)

The notion of discourse

39

(1)

Foucault and the `rules' of discourse

40

(1)

Deconstruction

41

(2)

Power: a Foucauldian approach

43

(2)

From identity to subjectivity: the role of discourse

45

(1)

Radical poststructural feminism

46

(2)

The deconstructive project of radical poststructural feminism

48

(1)

The body: Cixous, poststructural feminism and `writing the feminine body'

49

(2)

Rethinking politics: principles for action

51

(1)

Towards a politics of detail

51

(1)

Interrogating and reworking notions of change

52

(1)

A focus on social practices rather than social identities

53

(1)

From collective identities to provisional coalitions

54

(1)

Towards open ended, dialogic change practices

54

(1)

Conclusion

55

(1)

Critical Social Work Responses to `Post' Theories

56

(15)

Response one: reservations about poststructuralism as a counter-revolutionary force

56

(3)

Response two: embrace of poststructural critique of the human services

59

(1)

Challenging the activist embrace of Foucault

59

(2)

Response three: poststructural theory and social work processes

61

(1)

Representations of practice

62

(1)

Power

63

(1)

Identity

64

(1)

Change

65

(2)

Grounding the debate in practice

67

(1)

A discourse analysis approach

67

(2)

Researching as a practitioner

69

(1)

Conclusion

70

(1)

Rethinking Professional Power and Identity

71

(24)

Representations of worker power and identity

72

(1)

Rethinking social control

73

(1)

Practice illustration: social control in statutory child protection work

74

(3)

The productivity of worker power

77

(1)

Practice illustration: young women's anti-violence project

78

(1)

The overt use of power

79

(3)

The implicit use of power

82

(3)

Participant ambivalence about the use of power

85

(2)

Power and productivity: some tensions in managing egalitarianism

87

(1)

Differences within the category of `powerful worker'

87

(1)

Social work and the `problem' of professional expertise

87

(3)

Differences and power

90

(1)

Practice illustration: difference and the exercise of power

91

(1)

Difference and worker vulnerability

92

(1)

Rethinking power in activist social work

93

(2)

Liberation or Regulation: Interrogating the Practices of Change

95

(26)

Interrogating critical practices

95

(2)

The `unconscientized' participant

97

(4)

Critical consciousness: liberation and exclusion

101

(4)

To be critical or not to be critical: tensions around critical perspectives in activism

105

(3)

Oppositional and collective approaches to power and identity

108

(1)

The forging of common identifications

108

(2)

The suppression of complex power relations

110

(1)

Power as domination

111

(1)

Speaking to the Other

112

(1)

Power and powerlessness

113

(3)

The `powerless' as authors and subjects of disciplinary power

116

(2)

Moving to action in the public sphere

118

(2)

Conclusion

120

(1)

Reconstructing Critical Practices

121

(23)

Deconstructing the theory/practice split

121

(2)

Social work in context

123

(2)

Power in practice

125

(3)

Power/knowledge in activist social work

128

(4)

Deconstructing the powerful worker and the powerless client

132

(3)

Beyond the heroic activist

135

(2)

Strategies for change

137

(2)

Critical cautions about post theories

139

(3)

Conclusion

142

(2)

Conclusions

144

(5)

Disrupting activism

144

(1)

Reconstructing critical approaches

145

(2)

Continuing challenges

147

(1)

Conclusion

148

(1)

Appendix Conversation Transcription Conventions

149

(1)

References

150

(12)

Index

162

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