Anti-Oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice

221 Pages·2002·5.225 MB·English

by  Lena Dominelli

ANTI-OPPRESSIVE SOCIAL WORK
THEORY AND PRACTICE
Other titles by Lena Dominelli:
Community Action and Organising Marginalised Groups
Women in Focus, Community Service Orders and Female Offenders
Love and Wages: The Impact of Imperialism, State Intervention and
Women’s Domestic Labour on Workers’ Control in Algeria
Anti-racist Social Work, 2nd edn*
Feminist Social Work (co-author)
Women and Community Action
Women Across Continents: Feminist Comparative Social Policy
Gender, Sex Offenders and Probation Practice
Getting Advice in Urdu
International Directory of Schools of Social Work
Anti-racist Perspectives in Social Work (co-author)
Anti-racist Probation Practice (co-author)
Sociology for Social Work*
Community Approaches to Child Welfare: International Perspectives
Beyond Racial Divides: Ethnicities in Social Work (co-editor)
Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates, 2nd edn* (co-editor)
Critical Practice in Social Work* (co-editor)
Feminist Social Work Theory and Practice*
*Published by Palgrave Macmillan
Anti-Oppressive
Social Work Theory
and Practice
Lena Dominelli
Consultant editor: Jo Campling
© Lena Dominelli 2002
All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmission of this
publication may be made without written permission.
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save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the
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Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication
may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this
work in accordance with the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988.
First published 2002 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN
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PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave
Macmillan division of St.Martin’s Press,LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom
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Union and other countries.
ISBN 978-0-333-77155-6 ISBN 978-1-4039-1400-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4039-1400-2
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Editing and origination by Aardvark Editorial,Mendham,Suffolk
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02
To those resisting oppression and social injustice, may better
understanding mean that a brighter day will soon dawn for us all
Contents
List of diagrams ix
Acknowledgements x
Introduction 1
Oppressive social relations: a concern for social workers 1
The structure of the book 5
1 Introducing Anti-Oppressive Theories for Practice 7
Introduction 7
Retheorising oppression to understand its complexities 8
The multidimensionality of context 23
Social work as an oppressive caring profession 28
Social work within an anti-oppressive framework 32
Conclusions 35
2 Oppression, Social Divisions and Identity 37
Introduction 37
Identity as a central feature of oppression 40
‘Othering’ processes as exclusionary 44
Identity formation and exclusionary processes 47
Identity in social work 51
Conclusions 56
3 Anti-Oppressive Practice as a Legitimate Concern
of Social Work 59
Introduction 59
Ethics in social work practice 62
Human rights are a concern of anti-oppressive practice 69
Legitimating anti-oppressive social work 71
The backlash against anti-oppressive social work 77
Conclusions 83
vii
viii Contents
4 Anti-Oppressive Practice in Action: Working with
Individuals 85
Introduction 85
Working with individuals in anti-oppressive ways 89
Conclusions 107
5 Anti-Oppressive Practice in Action: Group
Interventions and Collective Action 109
Introduction 109
Organising around identity 110
Strengthening communities 127
Managing poor people 133
Conclusions 139
6 Engaging in Organisational Change 141
Introduction 141
Organisation(s) matter(s) 148
Challenging the organisation 157
Conclusions 159
7 Beyond Postmodern Welfare: Establishing Unity
between Content, Process and Outcomes 161
Introduction 161
Postmodern insights 163
The failings of postmodernism 168
Conclusions 179
8 Conclusions 181
Bibliography 186
Index 199
List of diagrams
1.1 Contexts impacting upon the self 23
1.2 Multidimensionality of context 24
2.1 Controlling boundaries 44
3.1 Controlling racialised relations 80
3.2 Interconnected levels of interaction 81
8.1 Holistic intervention chart for anti-oppressive practice 184
ix
Acknowledgements
A book is never simply the product of its author. Ideas germinate in
chance encounters with others, in sustained conversations and in
purposive research. It is, therefore, impossible to thank personally all
those who have contributed to my forming the words contained
within this volume. I want to record my heartfelt thanks and apprec-
iation to all who have shared with me their views and life experiences.
Also, I wish to thank the students whose critical questions have helped
me to search for new answers to old concerns. They have kept my eye
on the ball. Additionally, I wish to thank my parents whose wisdom
and strength in overcoming the daily oppressions they experience have
been a constant source of inspiration to me. And finally, I wish to
thank David and Nicholas for their unending loving support and
understanding.
LENA DOMINELLI
Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders but if any
have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers will be pleased to
make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
x